Out of the Blue
by JavaKamp
Summary: **Complete** Sequel to Fool for Love. Luke and Lorelai are planing a wedding, but something is about to happen that may prevent that. Chap 27 6/26. Chap 28 6/30. Chap 29 7/6. Chap 30 7/9. Chap 31 & 32 7/14
1. Like Mother, Like Daughter

Note: Sequel to Fool for Love, which is story id 1267902   
  
Summary: It is about two and a half years after Fool for Love, around April 2005, which would be somewhere in the 5th season. Rory is away attending school, but she still visits often. Lorelai and Luke are now living together in her house. They are very happy and have a wedding planed for summer. But events are about to be set in motion that may change that. Will they be able to overcome the challenges or will it be the end.   
  
Out of the Blue  
By  
  
Javakamp  
Chapter 1: Like Mother, Like Daughter.  
  
"Boring." Click. "Boring." Click. "Dulllll." Click. "Stupid." Click. "Arrrrrgggggghhhh." Lorelai Gilmore thumbed the button on the remote in her hand and turned off the TV. She tossed the remote onto the couch besides her, and shouted, "Come on guys, I'm bored and I want to watch the movie."  
  
"Jeez, woman, be patient. It's not like you haven't seen Terminator: The Musical, ten times already."  
  
Lorelai looked up to see the speaker, Luke Danes, descending the stairs. He was dressed in a large T-shirt and baggy sweatpants, his hair still damp from a recent shower.  
  
Lorelai smiled up at her fiancé and said, "Ooooo, I see you dressed up real sexy for me."  
  
Luke reddened as he looked around, and then scolded, "Lorelai, please, Rory might hear you."  
  
Lorelai waved him off and replied, "She can't hear us. She's back in her room on the phone with Kyyylllleeee."  
  
Luke glanced up the hallway towards Rory's room and said, "Again? I mean she sees him everyday at college, and then she comes home for the weekend to spend some time with her mother, and spends all the time talking to her boyfriend on the phone, and running up our phone bill. They have been dating for over a year. You'd think they could bear not to talk for a couple of days."  
  
Lorelai stood and met Luke as he stepped off the stairs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "Ahh, come on, Luke. You remember what it was like to be young and in love."  
  
Luke smiled as he wrapped his arms around Lorelai's waist, and put his forehead to hers, "Yeah, I seem to have a recollection."  
  
"Besides, Mr. Tightwad," Lorelai said as she gave Luke a quick peck. "It's Saturday and she's on her cell, so unlimited minutes."  
  
Lorelai took Luke's hand and led him towards the couch, as she asked, "How was your day at the diner? I want to hear all about it."  
  
"You know, the usual Saturday. People came in, and ordered food. I made the food, they ate it, and then paid for it."  
  
"Wow, you always have the best stories to tell."  
  
When they reached the couch, Luke grabbed one of the pillows and placed in front of the couch and proceeded to sit down on the floor.  
  
"What are you doing down there?" Lorelai asked as she sat on the couch. She patted the cushion next to her and said, "You can sit next to me."  
  
Luke smiled, and said, "Are you kidding? Once you and Rory get spread out on the couch, there will be no way anyone else can sit there. I'll be comfortable right here." Luke sat down on the floor with his back to the couch.  
  
Luke grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He pushed another button and the Red Sox game came on.  
  
"Luuuke," Lorelai whined, "We are not watching baseball."  
  
"Just till we're ready to start the movie."  
  
"We could go ahead and start the movie," Lorelai offered. "I can watch Arnold and Alyssa Milano do their opening dance number a thousand times. We can restart it when Rory's ready."  
  
"No, we'll wait for Rory," Luke said, half distracted by the game.  
  
Luke watched the game for a few minutes, when he felt a barely noticed touch to his right ear. Absentmindedly he shook his head at the discomfort, and continued to watch the Red Sox at bat. A few moments later, the touch was back, more noticeable this time. He reached up with his hand to brush the disturbance away, but felt nothing. Shortly the touch came back this time more noticeable.   
  
Finally catching on, Luke smiled, but continued to watch the game. Slowly, the touch increased till it became a gentle tickling along the edges of his ear. The tickle sent chills up Luke's spine, but he remained still. Finally when the tickling to his ear become too much, his hand shot up and caught a hold of a slender hand, as its owner burst into a fit of giggles.  
  
Luke looked at the owner of the hand and asked, "Lorelai, what are you doing?"  
  
Lorelai leaned forward and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, but you have such a cute ear, I couldn't keep my hands off."  
  
Luke pulled on Lorelai's arm, bringing her closer to him as he said, "You know you're annoying, don't you."  
  
Lorelai leaned down and kissed him and said, "But that's one of the things you love about me."  
  
"Not really," Luke teased before he pulled her back and they exchanged a long kiss.  
  
When they broke apart, Lorelai smiled at him and said, "You know I was looking at a calendar earlier, and you know what I noticed?"  
  
"No, what?"  
  
"That today is April 23rd."  
  
"You figured that out all by yourself, did you?"  
  
Lorelai wrapped her hand into a fist and hit Luke in the shoulder.  
  
"Owww. Okay, okay, what's happens on April 23rd?"  
  
"Only that it is exactly eight weeks before June 18th. In case you forgot, that is day we're getting maaaarrieeeed."  
  
"June 18th? I can't get married that day. I think I have plans. Can we postpone it a week?"  
  
Lorelai pulled back her hand to hit Luke on the shoulder again. Luke held his hands up to defend himself as he said, "Hey, hey, I was just kidding."  
  
Lorelai smiled and reached out and ruffled Luke's hair. She stood up and said, "Let me go check on Rory, and start some popcorn." As she started to walk towards the kitchen, she asked, "Can I get you anything?"  
  
"Sure. I'll take a glass of water."  
  
"Bubbles?"  
  
"No thanks, just plain."  
  
"Flavored?"  
  
"Nooo. Just water."  
  
"Want ice?"  
  
Sounding playfully annoyed, Luke replied, "Jeez, woman. How many times do I have to say plain, regular, room temperature water?  
  
"Well, all you had to do was ask," Lorelai said, before she stuck out her tongue, and headed for the kitchen.  
  
Luke smiled as he returned his attention back to the game.  
  
A few minutes later, Luke was engrossed in the game but still noticed the smell of popcorn. Soon after that, he was handed a glass of water. Without looking up, Luke took the glass and said, "Thanks."  
  
Luke received a muffled response which he took as an you're welcome with a mouthful of popcorn.  
  
A couple of minutes later, just as the Sox walked the based loaded, Luke felt the tickling return to his ear. He jerked his head away. A few moments later, just as the Red Sox's pitcher struck out the next batter, the tickle returned. Luke's hand shot up, but instead of capturing a hand, he found that the offending appendage was a foot.  
  
Without looking up, he decided a little retribution was required. He began to run his finger along the bottom of the foot. His efforts were greeted with vain attempts to pull the foot from his grasp, and the sounds of giggling around a mouthful of popcorn.  
  
After a moment Luke decided to change tact. He pulled the foot down and began planting kisses on it, starting near the ankle and working his way towards the toes. Once he reached the toes, he opened his mouth and wrapped it around the big toe, and began to gently suck on the digit.  
  
As Luke switched to the next toe, he wondered if Lorelai had switched soap. Luke was sliding his tongue between two toes when, from behind him, he heard Lorelai say, "What's going on here?"  
  
Panic shot over Luke as he opened his eyes. He looked from the foot in his mouth, to the leg it was attached to, then up to the face of the owner of the foot. Rory stared down at him with an expression that looked like she was about to burst into laughter, and said, "Hi, Luke."  
  
Luke let go of Rory's foot and jumped up, "Oh, Jeez, Rory, I'm sorry. I…"  
  
He backed away from Rory and looked at a furious Lorelai. "Oh, no, Lorelai, I swear I would never… I thought it was you. You've got to believe me, please."  
  
Lorelai continued to glare at Luke. She looked at Rory for a long moment, who stared silently back. After a moment both Gilmore women burst into laughter.   
  
Still laughing, Lorelai walked towards Luke who wasn't convinced she wouldn't hit him. She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him into a hug as she said, "You should have seen the look on your face. I just wish I'd had a camera."  
  
Lorelai pulled back from Luke who was red with embarrassment, but was beginning to smile, while shaking his head.  
  
Lorelai started to reach up and kiss him, but pulled up short, and said, "But, honey would you do me one favor?"  
  
"Sure what?"  
  
"Would you mind brushing your teeth?"  
  
Luke nodded and headed up stairs, and as Lorelai moved towards the couch, she asked Rory, "I wonder if that's how you get foot and mouth disease?" 


	2. What, no Blueberries?

Chapter 2: What, No Blueberries?  
  
Early the following afternoon, as Lorelai got out of their six-month old SUV, she said, "Uuggghh, I think I ate too much."  
  
Luke closed his door, and replied, "Now there's something I never thought I'd hear you say."  
  
"Hey, it was Sunday brunch, you're supposed to overeat."  
  
"Lorelai, you ate four pancakes, three pieces of French Toast, and a waffle."  
  
"I had to get the waffle; it came with strawberries and whipped cream."  
  
"Plus who knows how much eggs, bacon and sausage."  
  
"So, what's your point?" Lorelai asked as they met in front of the car.  
  
"If you're not careful all this food you eat is going to catch up to you. One morning you're going to wake up and weigh 500 pounds."  
  
Lorelai leaned close to Luke and, with a suggestive arch of her eyebrows, softly said, "Well, maybe you can help me work off some of the calories later? You UP for it?"  
  
Before Luke could respond, Rory joined them saying, "I can't believe how big Bobbi has gotten. It seems like just the other day that Sookie and Jackson brought her home from the hospital."  
  
Lorelai released Luke and as the trio began walking towards the house, she put her arm around Rory, "Yeah, well, just wait till you have one of your own, you'll find yourself saying that everyday."  
  
As they neared the house, they heard the phone begin to ring. "I'll get it," Luke said as he hurried ahead leaving the girls behind.  
  
"I'm really not ready to think seriously about having kids yet," Rory said.  
  
"Well, good, cause I'm not sure if I'm ready to have grandkids yet."  
  
They stopped on the porch to enjoy the spring afternoon for a few minutes longer. Rory looked at her mother and asked, "What about kids though? You and Luke, I mean."  
  
Lorelai shrugged and said, "We've talked about it, and while we haven't definitely came to any decisions, I don't think if it happened, either one of us would be upset. And I think Luke would make a great dad."  
  
Lorelai turned to Rory and asked, "What would you think about having another half a sibling?"  
  
Rory smiled and said, "As long as you're happy with it, so am I."  
  
After they exchanged a hug, Lorelai looked at her watch and asked, "What time is your ride back to school supposed to be here?"  
  
Rory glanced at her watch and said, "Donna is supposed to be here around 3:30. We've got plenty of time."  
  
"Well, Luke's probably gonna want to watch baseball, so what do you say you get packed then we'll go get some coffee or something?"  
  
"Sounds great. Give me about fifteen minutes." Rory turned and went inside.  
  
Already starting to miss her daughter, Lorelai watched Rory go inside. Before Lorelai could follow, she heard Rory call from inside, "Mom!"  
  
Something in the tone of Rory's voice caused Lorelai to worry. She hurried into the house and asked, "What is it, sweetie?"  
  
A worried-looking Rory pointed into the living room. Once Lorelai got into the hall, she looked where Rory was pointing and saw Luke standing there, staring off into space with the phone in his hand hanging limply at his side. Lorelai approached Luke and asked, "Luke, honey, are you alright?"  
  
Luke didn't respond until Lorelai touched him on the arm. He turned towards her but his eyes didn't really focus on her. "Luke, what's the matter?" Lorelai asked, the concern building in her voice.  
  
Luke's mouth moved, but he said nothing. Lorelai suddenly realized she could hear the sound of a far-away voice. Looking around, she realized she was hearing someone speaking from the phone in Luke's hand.  
  
With a sense of dread, Lorelai reached down and took the phone from Luke's hand. As she brought the phone to her ear, Luke limply slumped into the chair at the desk. With her heart in her throat, Lorelai spoke into the phone, "Hello?"  
  
A male voice answered, "Yes, I was speaking with a Mr. Luke Danes?"  
  
"What did you say to him?"  
  
"I really need to speak to Mr. Danes. Is he still there?" the voice asked.  
  
Lorelai looked at Luke who continued to sit in the chair and stare off into space. "Luke doesn't seem to be able to talk on the phone. Can you please tell me what you said to him?"  
  
"I'm sorry, can I ask who I'm talking to?"  
  
Fighting off panic and anger, Lorelai said, "This is Lorelai Gilmore. Luke is my fiancé."  
  
"Miss Gilmore," the man started, "My name is Carson Timmons, I'm the Managing Editor for International News magazine. I'm calling because Mr. Danes was listed on the contact information for one of our journalists, Miss Rachel Cooper."  
  
"Oh, my God, Rachel," Lorelai gasped, as her free hand rose to her mouth. "Is she…?"  
  
"Rachel was on assignment in Peru," the voice answered. "Late yesterday, the small plane she was traveling on went down in a remote area."  
  
Lorelai moved her hand from her mouth to rest on Luke's shoulder. Luke's hand reached up and took hold of her hand. Lorelai felt Rory kneel next to her and put her arms around her and Luke.  
  
"Now it's too soon to say for sure," Timmons said, "But reports from the first people on the scene are that there are no survivors." 


	3. That Human Touch

Chapter 3: That Human Touch  
  
Sookie refilled Lorelai's coffee cup as she asked, "But they're sure now?"  
  
Lorelai nodded sadly and said, "Yeah. That guy from the magazine called back last night and told us they had recovered all the bodies."  
  
"Oh, my God," Sookie said, "Poor Rachel."  
  
Lorelai nodded, "I know." They sat quietly for a moment, while they both blinked back tears.  
  
"So how is Luke taking it?" Sookie asked.  
  
Lorelai sighed as she responded, "He's really taking it hard." Lorelai sipped her coffee then said, "You know I don't think I ever saw him cry before yesterday."  
  
"That is so sad." After a moment Sookie asked, "So how are you taking it?"  
  
"Me?" Lorelai asked. "I'm fine. I mean I liked Rachel, but I didn't know her that well. I'm mostly upset for Luke."  
  
Sookie shook her head and said, "No I mean how do you feel about your fiancé getting so upset over an old girlfriend?"  
  
Lorelai gave Sookie a surprised expression and replied, "I'm fine, why would it bother me if Luke is grieving because his old girlfriend got killed?"  
  
"Because your fiancé is doing some major grieving over an old girlfriend."  
  
Lorelai sighed deeply and said, "Oh, Sookie, I'm a terrible person. I mean here a perfectly nice girl has died a tragic death, and I'm upset because my boyfriend is experiencing severe grief, because it's his old girlfriend. I can't tell you how much it bothers me to see him like this over a girl that left him on more than on occasion. But then I think what if it would have been Christopher, or even Max. I would be a total wreck. Even though I'm not with them I still care about them. But then I think about Luke all broken up about Rachel and it's like someone is tying up my insides in huge knots. I must be some kind of monster."  
  
"Oh, sweetie, that doesn't make you into a monster."  
  
"It doesn't?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"No it just means you're human," Sookie explained. "I mean, remember Bonnie?"  
  
"You mean Jackson's old girlfriend?"  
  
"Yeah, last summer she calls and says she's going to be passing through town the following week and wants to stop by. And without even checking with me Jackson says yes. Well, I was furious, but I kept telling myself that I was being irrational, and Jackson's old girlfriend was not going to be coming into town to try and steal him away from me, and besides I knew that even if she was, Jackson loved me and would never leave me."  
  
"But, I still worried about it for the next week. Then as the day gets closer there and Jackson is acting as excited as a six-year old waiting to open his presents at Christmas, which only made me madder."  
  
Lorelai sipped her coffee as she smiled Sookie's analogy.  
  
"But you know what? When she finally does show up, she's not alone. She's with her husband, and two little kids, and she's pregnant with their third. So anyway we have this big barbecue, and a really nice visit, and it turns out that I spent more time talking with Bonnie, than Jackson did."  
  
"So you liked her, huh?" asked Lorelai.  
  
"Yeah, she was nice, and she had no intention of trying to steal Jackson. She just wanted to see an old friend."  
  
"That's nice."  
  
Sookie nodded then said, "Yep, but once they packed up the kids and drove off, I was glad the bitch was gone. That, my friend, is called being human." 


	4. Excuse Me, Could you Point Me Towards th...

Chapter 4: Excuse Me, Could you Point Me Towards the Land of Denial?  
  
As Lorelai slept, she rolled over in bed and unconsciously reached out an arm. When her arm only encountered an empty bed, she opened her eyes, confirming what she already knew. She was alone in bed, again.  
  
She sat up and looked at the clock on the nightstand. The large red numbers read 3:44. She threw off the covers, got up from the bed and walked into the hall.   
  
As she approached the stairs she could make out the soft flickering glow of the TV, providing the only illumination to the living room. When she reached the stair railing and could see into the living room, she could make out Luke sitting on the couch, staring at the TV, the sound just a whisper. As she began to descend the stairs, she asked, "Couldn't sleep?"  
  
"I'm sorry, did the TV wake you?" Luke apologized.  
  
"No, I woke up and noticed I was alone, I didn't like it. So I figured that you were alone down here, and I decided I'd come down here and you could keep me company."  
  
Lorelai walked to the couch, and grabbed the afghan off of the back. She pointed to the couch next to Luke and asked, "May I?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Lorelai sat down next to Luke, snuggling close, while he put his arm around her. She used the afghan to cover her legs, and then leaned her head onto his chest.  
  
They sat quietly watching some old sitcom on TV. Finally Lorelai spoke, "Luke, are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."  
  
"Luke, it's Wednesday morning, and you haven't slept more that two hours a night since Sunday."  
  
"You've noticed, huh?"  
  
Lorelai sat up and replied, "Of course I've noticed. I've also noticed you've been very quiet even for you."  
  
When Luke didn't reply, Lorelai asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"I'm fine, just a little insomnia."  
  
"Luke," Lorelai said looking him straight in the eyes.  
  
"Really, I'm fine."  
  
"Well, okay, you don't have to talk to me. Maybe there's someone else you could talk to."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Lorelai shrugged and replied, "I don't know, maybe a professional."  
  
"What? Like a shrink? I don't need that. I'm not crazy."  
  
"Luke, sweetie, seeing a therapist doesn't mean you're crazy. Sometimes you need them to help sort out your thoughts, or you need an objective third party to tell you that what you're feeling is normal."  
  
"I'm not feeling anything, I'm fine."  
  
"Luke?"  
  
"What? I'm fine."  
  
"Luke, Rachel is dead."  
  
"I know that, Lorelai, what's that got to do with anything?"  
  
"Luke, honey, you're hurting."  
  
Luke shook his head and replied, "That's ridiculous. I mean yeah, I'm sorry she's dead, but that's it."  
  
Lorelai took a hold of Luke's hand and said, "Luke this, is someone you were very close to at one time. It's probably safe to say that at one time you were in love with her."  
  
Lorelai stared at Luke till he nodded ascent, then she continued, "And I'm sure, on some level, you still love her, and that's okay. Just because you guys split up that doesn't mean that you stop caring about her."  
  
Luke kissed Lorelai on the forehead, then said, "Thank you Lorelai, but really, I'm fine."  
  
Lorelai sighed heavily then she stood up. She played with Luke's hair, as she said, "Okay, fine, you don't have to talk to me about it, but eventually you'll have to talk to someone."  
  
Luke looked back her and said, "I swear I'm fine."  
  
"Whatever," Lorelai sighed, "I'm too tired to argue about it." She grabbed his hand and said, "I'm going back to bed, why don't you come with me?"  
  
Luke glanced at the TV for a second then nodded. He used the remote to turn off the TV, then still holding her hand, followed Lorelai back upstairs. 


	5. The Many faces of Luke

Chapter 5: The Many Faces of Luke.  
  
The following night, Lorelai was sitting at the kitchen table paying bills when she heard the front door bang open. She glanced at the clock on the wall then called out, "I sure hope that's my sweetie, and not some strange man."  
  
"It's me," she heard Luke's voice reply.  
  
"Ohh, it's a strange man. Help me. Help me!" Lorelai said, playfully.  
  
When Luke walked into the kitchen, carrying bags from Doose's Market, she changed her tune, "Oh, you brought food."  
  
"Yeah," Luke replied, "I picked up a few things."  
  
Lorelai stood up and gave him a quick peck and said, "I wondered why you were so late."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"No problem. Need help?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Lorelai took a bag from Luke and put it on the table, while Luke placed his on the counter. As Lorelai started to unpack the groceries, she asked, "Did you pick up anything else?"  
  
Luke looked at her, quizzically and asked, "No, was I supposed to?" But before Lorelai could respond, realization hit Luke, as he said, "I was supposed to pick up your dry cleaning! I'm sorry."  
  
"No big deal," Lorelai answered. "I'll get it tomorrow."  
  
"Damn it, what was I thinking about?" Luke said, a little louder that required.  
  
"Really, it's fine. I can do it tomorrow or Saturday."  
  
"No," Luke answered, a little too firmly, "I was supposed to do it. I'll do it now." As Luke started for the door, he said, "Damn it, how could I forget that?"  
  
"Luke, that's okay," Lorelai said, but when he didn't stop she moved towards him. When she neared him, she stopped him with a hand on his arm and said, "Luke, it's no big deal, I'll take care of it tomorrow."  
  
"Are you sure? Cause I can still make it before they close."  
  
"No, it's fine."  
  
Luke nodded and said, "I'm sorry, Lorelai. I don't know what I was thinking."  
  
As they returned to unloading their bags, Lorelai said, "Carson Timmons called earlier."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Carson Timmons, from the magazine."  
  
"Which magazine?"  
  
"International News Magazine. You know, Rachel's magazine."  
  
"Oh," Luke responded, a little more calmly that Lorelai expected. "What did he want?"  
  
"He, aaa…" Lorelai paused before she continued, "He was just aaa, just calling about funeral arrangements. The funeral is Saturday at 2 o'clock in Dayton. I wrote the details down, they're over by the phone. I also called and got some information about flights and air fare. It's there too."  
  
"Why?" Luke asked, while he put a couple of item in the refrigerator.   
  
"Why? So you can go to the funeral."  
  
Luke shrugged and replied, "I'm not going."  
  
"Luke, you need to go."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's called closure. I think that if you go to the funeral, it'll help you move on."  
  
"I moved on a long time ago."  
  
"I'm beginning to think you didn't," Lorelai said as she pulled a jar of peanut butter from her bag.  
  
Luke spied the jar and asked, "What's that?"  
  
Lorelai looked where he pointed and replied, "It's peanut butter."  
  
Luke grabbed the jar from her hand and said, "It's the smooth peanut butter, Rory likes the crunchy kind. Damn it."  
  
"She won't mind."  
  
Luke began pacing as he spoke, "She's Rory, so she won't say anything, but what's she going to think when she sees smooth peanut butter when she likes chunky?"  
  
"She's going to think, 'Hey, look there's food in the house. Cool.'"  
  
"Damn it!"  
  
"Luke, it's no big deal."  
  
"It's a very big deal," Luke said, the anger starting to rise in his voice again.  
  
"It's just peanut butter."   
  
"It's the wrong peanut butter," Luke said, pointing at the jar.  
  
"Luke," Lorelai said, "I'm beginning to think this is about more than Rory and getting the wrong kind of peanut butter."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about you and your… issues."  
  
Luke put one hand on his hip and asked, "What does that mean, issues?"  
  
"It means that there is something bothering you and we both know what that is."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Luke declared.  
  
"I think you do, you just won't admit it," Lorelai replied.  
  
They stared at each other for a moment, the tension rising with the silence. Finally, Luke nodded and said, "Rachel, I should have known. I can't understand why you are so worked up over someone who I dated years ago, and who's not even alive anymore."  
  
"Luke, I'm not the one with the problem here."  
  
"I keep telling you that I'm fine. What possible reason could you have for saying that?"  
  
"I'm saying that because you are having a meltdown over of a jar of peanut butter and forgotten dry cleaning."  
  
Luke held up the jar and said, "This is not just a jar of peanut butter, this sends a message."  
  
"What kind of message can a jar of peanut butter send?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"She's going to think that we don't care. That I couldn't do one simple thing to show I cared. She's going to think that…"  
  
Luke halted his rant, realization coming to him. He sat the jar on the table, grabbing the back of a chair for support, while lowering his chin to his chest. When he didn't speak, Lorelai walked over and put a gentle hand on his back and asked, "Think what, honey?"  
  
"That I didn't care. She died and thought I didn't care," Luke said, with his head still hanging down.  
  
It broke Lorelai's heart to see Luke in such pain. Desperately trying to reassure him she said, "Oh, Luke, she didn't think that. I'm sure of it."  
  
"How the hell could you know that?!" Luke yelled standing up and turning on Lorelai, anger in his eyes. He hesitated for a second then snatched the jar of peanut butter from the table and hurdled it into the corner where the glass shattered, allowing the contents to splatter across the floor and wall.  
  
Silence hung in the room as Luke stared at the mass of peanut butter for a long moment, an expression of disbelief over his outburst on his face. Eventually, he sank back into a chair, burying his face in his hands, while his body trembled with the subsiding rage.  
  
Lorelai moved to kneel next to Luke. She leaned her head against his arm, while she rubbed his back.  
  
When Luke looked up, he said, "Lorelai, I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve that."  
  
"I know, sweetie. It's okay."  
  
Luke shook his head, and said, "I just don't know what's the matter with me."  
  
Lorelai smiled sadly and then said, "Honey, there's nothing wrong with you, it's called grief, and it's normal."  
  
Luke looked at Lorelai and for the first time noticed the tears running down her cheeks. But what bothered him more than the tears was the look on her face. Instead of the anger or fear that he would have expected in that situation he saw something that made him pause. He saw pity. He couldn't stand her looking at him like that. But he was determined not to take his rage out on Lorelai.  
  
He reached out and pulled her head close, planting a kiss on her forehead. "You've been so good to me lately and I've been such a jerk."  
  
She leaned her head against his chest and said, "I understand."  
  
After a moment, Luke stood up and said, "I… ah…I need some time to think, so I'm going to take a shower."  
  
"Okay."  
  
He started out of the kitchen, but stopped, pointed at the glass and peanut butter and said, "I'll clean that up later, okay?"  
  
Tears still running down her cheeks, Lorelai smiled at him, and said, "Okay."  
  
As Luke passed from sight Lorelai wanted to run after him to try and comfort him, but she knew that he needed to figure things out for himself. When she heard Luke begin to climb the stairs, she walked to the pantry and pulled out a broom and dust pan. As she stared down at the ruin of the peanut butter, she couldn't help but wonder if anything else was going to end up ruined before this was over. The thought made her sick to her stomach. 


	6. Arangements

Chapter 6: Arrangements  
  
Forty minutes later, Lorelai was back at the kitchen table, reading a magazine, when she heard Luke coming down the stairs. When he entered the room, she wasn't surprised to see him with a duffle bag in one hand, and a garment bag hung over one shoulder.  
  
Luke stood silently, for a moment, before bashfully saying, "I decided that I would go to Dayton."  
  
Lorelai felt nauseous at the thought of Luke going away, but she smiled at him and replied, "I figured you would." She picked up a piece of paper from the table and said, "I already made your reservations. You fly out from Hartford tomorrow morning at 10:25. You have to change planes in Pittsburg, so you should get in sometime around 3pm. Then you fly back Sunday morning at 11:20. You've got car and hotel reservations in Dayton. All the information is there complete with maps I printed from the Internet."  
  
Luke gave Lorelai an impressed nod as he glanced at the paper and said, "You have been busy. "He leaned out and kissed her on the forehead, then said, "You're something special, you know that?"  
  
Lorelai tried to appear bashful as she said, "Yeah, I know."  
  
They stood silently till Lorelai asked, "If you want, I'll go with you. You know that, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah," Luke sighed, "but I think this is something I need to do myself."  
  
"I figured. Want me to drop you off, and pick you up at the airport?" Lorelai asked, fighting a sick feeling in her stomach.  
  
"I'll just park the truck at the airport. No need you missing work."  
  
"It's no problem."  
  
"I know, but that's okay."  
  
Lorelai stepped up to Luke and hugged him, and said, "I love you, you know."  
  
He dropped the duffle bag and used the arm to return the hug, "I love you too." After a few moments of quiet hugging, Luke continued, "But, I think that once I get back from Dayton, that I'll be staying at the apartment over the diner for a while. I think I need some time alone."  
  
Lorelai stepped back from him with a sad look on her face, but she nodded and said, "Yeah, I figured you'd do that too."  
  
"You know me pretty well, don't you?"  
  
"I try," Lorelai shrugged.  
  
Luke took a deep breath then said, "I want you to know that it's not you, it's me. I just need to figure some things out."  
  
"I know."  
  
"And I want you to know that I appreciate how much you've tried to help me these past few days," Luke said. "And I know this hasn't been easy to know that all this is because of another woman."  
  
Lorelai looked at Luke's duffle sitting on the floor as she replied, "I won't lie, it's been hard, but I do understand. I mean if I was in your place, I would probably be handling things a lot worse."   
  
Once again Luke wrapped his arm around her pulling her tight, while she buried her cheek on his chest. Eventually Lorelai pulled away. She grabbed Luke by the hand and pulled him into the living room. She opened the desk drawer, reached in and pulled out a cell phone. "Here, I want you to take this." Luke started to protest, but she said, "I know you hate them but this is the reason I bought it for you. Just in case. And there is free long distance so you can call me from Dayton and let me know that you made it and how you're doing."  
  
Luke again started to protest, but Lorelai pouted and said, "Please."  
  
"Alright," Luke conceded.  
  
"Cool, maybe we can have phone sex," Lorelai teased.  
  
After the phone and charger were secured in Luke's luggage, she walked Luke to the door, kissed him, and said, "Don't forget, I love you."  
  
"I love you too," Luke said, before he turned and walked through the door.  
  
She stood in the door, tears flowing freely, watching him get into his truck. Once he was in the truck, he noticed her standing in the door, so he waved goodbye. A moment later, he started the truck and drove off. She stood there for a while watching the direction that the truck had gone.  
  
When she finally closed the door, she was thinking about the possibility that she might lose Luke. The thought turned her stomach. She tried to fight off the feeling, but a moment later she was in the bathroom emptying the contents of her stomach, while she continued to cry. 


	7. Hey, There Sailor

Chapter 7: Hey There, Sailor  
  
Rory was sitting at the kitchen table, studying when the phone began to ring. She looked up and saw the cordless sitting across the room. Before she could stand up, her roommate, Brenda picked it up and said, "City Morgue. You stab 'em, we slab 'em."  
  
Rory smiled at Brenda as she returned to her studying, but she looked back up when Brenda said, "Oh hi, Lorelai. No, Rory can't come to the phone, she's in the other room with some guy she picked up off the street. They're probably doing something dirty."  
  
Rory looked around for something to throw at Brenda. She settled on the cap from her pen. Rory threw the cap, but Brenda was never in any danger from the projectile.  
  
Brenda listened for a moment then said, "Yeah, just the one guy. I personally think she's losing her touch. There used to be three or four at a time." Brenda stood and walked towards Rory, "Yeah, she's right here. Bye." Brenda handed the phone to Rory and said, "It's your mother."  
  
"Really," Rory replied. She pushed her hair behind one ear, then placed the phone over the ear and said, "Hi, mom."  
  
Rory listened a moment then said, "Not much just sitting here trying to think up ways to kill my roommate."  
  
Rory leaned back in her chair as she listened to her mother's reply then said, "Oh I like that, nice and slow, but a little messy."  
  
Rory laughed at her mother's response, and then asked, "So, what's up?" As Rory listened to Lorelai the smile left her face. She sat up and she said, "Oh, mom, I'm so sorry to hear that. What happened?"  
  
Rory cradled the phone on her shoulder, as she started to close her books and put them into her book bag while she continued to listen. She glanced at her watch, and then said, "Okay, I want you to order a pizza and veg in front of the TV." She started towards her room as she said, "And I'll be there in a couple of hours. No, tomorrow is Friday, I can miss some classes. No, don't worry about it."  
  
"Listen, I need to go, so I can call Kyle for a ride up there."  
  
"Of course he'll do it for me." Rory listened then teased, "Well, I think it's a skill I learnt from you."  
  
Rory pulled out her overnight case from under the bed and began to throw things in as she said, "I got to go now mom, but I'll call you from my cell once we're on the road. Okay? Bye."  
  
Rory turned the phone off then on, and then pressed a speed dial button. After a moment, she said, "Hi Kyle. How much do you love me?" 


	8. Arrivials

Chapter 8: Arrivals  
  
Lorelai sat on the couch with the phone in her hand. When it rang, she had it turned on and to her ear before it finished the first ring. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, mom," Lorelai heard Rory's voice over the phone. "We're passing Monty the Rooster now so we'll be pulling up in about a minute."  
  
"Okay, see you in a minute." Lorelai turned off the phone and hurried to the door.  
  
As promised, Lorelai saw a car approaching. Less that a minute later, the car was stopped, and Rory got out, trotting towards the house. Lorelai ran out the door, meeting Rory somewhere in between, hugging each other tightly.  
  
"Thanks for coming sweetie."  
  
"I'm so sorry, mom. I'm sure that things will work out."  
  
"Thanks, babe," Lorelai said as she released Rory.   
  
Lorelai looked to the driver exiting the car. He was tall with broad shoulders, brown hair that had a slight wave to it, and a quirky, but cute smile. She waved at him and said, "Hi, Kyle. Thanks for driving her up."  
  
"No problem, Lorelai," Kyle replied. "Besides, Rory can be pretty hard to say no to."  
  
"Yeah, "Lorelai teased. "I wonder where she gets that?"  
  
Kyle reached into the back seat and pulled out Rory's overnight case. He walked to Rory and said, "I hate to run out on you but I should be heading back."  
  
"It's pretty late Kyle," Lorelai said. "Do you have to leave tonight?"  
  
"Yeah, I have classes in the morning."  
  
"Not till 9:30," Rory pointed out.  
  
"You can stay the night then get up early and drive back in plenty of time to make class," Lorelai observed.  
  
"Yeah," Rory said. "If you get up at six, you can be on the road by seven, and back in plenty of time.  
  
Kyle started to object, but Rory cut him off, "Please."  
  
Kyle thought about it for a moment, then nodded his head, and said, "Okay, but you have to promise that I'm up by six. I'm not doing so well in biology, so I can't afford to miss class."  
  
"I promise," Rory smiled as she grabbed his hand. She took Lorelai's hand with her free one and started walking towards the house. "So mom, did you eat all the pizza?"  
  
Lorelai acted shocked and said, "Rory, I ordered a large supreme."  
  
"I know, is there any left?"  
  
"A couple of pieces. But not to worry, because there should be another one here in about fifteen minutes."  
  
Rory nodded and said, "Pizza, it's good food." 


	9. Girl Talk

Chapter 9: Girl Talk  
  
Two hours later, Rory sat on her mother's bed with her back against the headboard, gently stroking Lorelai's head, which rested on her leg. They sat quietly for a while till Rory asked, "Do you think he'll be gone long?"  
  
Lorelai sighed and responded, "I don't know, sweetie."  
  
"Do you want him to come back?"  
  
Lorelai sighed then said, "I want him to come back, more than anything, but not if he's not sure he wants to be with me."  
  
"Have you thought about the wedding?" Rory asked.  
  
Lorelai gave a soft, short, ironic laugh and said, "Yeah, it's crossed my mind once or twice."  
  
"Do you think you'll have to postpone?"  
  
Lorelai sat up and said, "I don't know. We've got a little time, so we don't have to decide tonight. Maybe in a week or two."  
  
"Are you gonna tell Grandma?"  
  
With a shake of her head Lorelai said, "Not just yet. That's a fight that I'm just not ready for."  
  
They sat quietly until Lorelai put a hand on Rory's knee and said, "But enough of talking about me. Let's talk about you."  
  
Rory smiled and asked, "Okay, what about?"  
  
"How's school?"  
  
"School is great. It's hard but I love it."  
  
"I've always been amazed about how much you enjoy school."  
  
"What can I say, I'm an academic freak," Rory shrugged.  
  
Lorelai smiled and said, "Kyle is looking good."  
  
Rory smiled bashfully and answered, "Yes, he is."  
  
"So, how's it going with you two?"  
  
"Things are great. School keeps us busy, but things are great."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that."  
  
"Oh, did I tell you?" Rory asked. "Kyle got a summer internship at the Atlanta Constitution."  
  
"Wow, that's great."  
  
"I know, but Atlanta is a long way away," Rory sighed.  
  
"I'm sure you guys will get some time to visit."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
"You know," Lorelai started, "It was real nice that you volunteered to sleep on the couch so he could sleep in your bed."  
  
Rory shrugged then said, "Well, he has to get up early, and I knew that we would be up late yakking, and eating. I didn't want to disturb him."  
  
"I'm sure that was the only reason."  
  
"What's that suppose to mean?"  
  
"Oh, nothing."  
  
"No, you have that something voice," Rory prompted. "Tell me."  
  
"I didn't mean a thing," Lorelai lied.  
  
"Mom."  
  
"Only that it's awful convenient your boyfriend's asleep in your bed, and you're right down there on the couch, just a few feet away. While you mother is an emotional wreck in her room and oblivious to the world."  
  
"Mom, what are you saying?"  
  
"Aww, come on," Lorelai said. "Don't tell me you never thought about it. Getting the chance to do it in the room you grew up in."  
  
Rory shook her head and said, "No, I would never think something like that."  
  
"What? Never?"  
  
"Nope, never," Rory claimed.  
  
"Really?" Lorelai asked, amazed. "I know I thought about it when I was a kid. Heck, I did it when I was younger than you. There was this one time…"  
  
"Okay," Rory said, holding up her hands to shield her ears. "Too much information."  
  
"Wimp," Lorelai taunted.  
  
"Mom, I'm old enough to realize that you have had sex, sometimes on a regular basis."  
  
"Yes I have," Lorelai said with a smile.  
  
Rory shook her head, but continued, "And I realize we have shared some of our 'experiences' with each other, but there are some things I don't want to hear about."  
  
Lorelai shrugged and said, "Okay."  
  
"Besides," Rory started with a gleam in her eye. "It really wouldn't be the first time Kyle and I did it in my old room."  
  
Lorelai's mouth fell open as she said with minimal shock, but no anger, "What?"  
  
"Kyle and me. We've done it in my room before."  
  
"Really. I had no idea. When?" Lorelai asked.  
  
Rory stared off into space as she recalled, "Last year, at Christmas, then before that when we were here for Thanksgiving. Oh, and last summer when he visited me here."  
  
"No kidding," Lorelai mused. "I didn't know."  
  
"Really, I thought you knew."  
  
"Nope," Lorelai answered. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I don't know," Rory replied. "It just never came up. You're not mad, are you?"  
  
"No, of course not," Lorelai waved. "You're an adult, you know."  
  
Lorelai was quiet for a moment, before she asked, "So, do you guys do it anywhere else in the house?"  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"Ah, come on." Rory looked hesitant, so Lorelai said, "If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine."  
  
They had talked for another hour. When Lorelai yawned, she looked at the clock and said, "Oh my, it's after one. I should get to sleep, or I'll never make it to work."  
  
"You're not going to work tomorrow, are you?" Rory asked.  
  
Lorelai shrugged and said, "Maybe a little late, but I figured I would go."  
  
"Why don't you take the day off," Rory suggested. "You could sleep late, we could have lunch, and go shopping."  
  
"Oh, I don't know."  
  
"Come on, mom. You deserve it. Weren't you the one who taught me that nothing gets you out of a relationship-induced depression faster than a new pair of new shoes?"  
  
"Okay, sounds good."  
  
"Great." Rory leaned forward and kissed her mother on the cheek, then said, "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Good night, sweetie," Lorelai said as Rory got up to leave. But before she made it to the door, Lorelai stopped her, "Oh, just a second, Rory."  
  
Rory turned back to her mother, but Lorelai was sprawled across the bed with her back to Rory, reaching into the drawer of the nightstand on the far side of the bed. Lorelai pulled something from the drawer, and as she tossed them to Rory, said, "You might need these."  
  
After she caught it, Rory looked down to see a strip of three flat foil wrapped packages. Rory stared at the packages for a moment, and then she threw them back at Lorelai, and said, "Ewwww, gross."  
  
"What?" Lorelai asked, feigning ignorance.  
  
Rory smiled at her and said, "You are just weird."  
  
"It's just in case you guys didn't bring any."  
  
Still smiling, Rory said, "Good night mom." Then she left the room closing the door behind her.  
  
"Good night," Lorelai called after her.   
  
Lorelai sat quietly for a moment. Sadly she reached out, and picked up the foil packages. She stared at them wondering if she and Luke would be able to work things out.   
  
While she pondered the future, there was a knock at the door, and she heard Rory's voice ask, "Mom?"  
  
"Yeah, come on in."  
  
Shyly Rory open the door, and walked in. She stood for a moment, and then said, "I was… That is, I was curious… Well, could…"  
  
"What, sweetie?" Lorelai asked.  
  
Rory didn't say anything, but she shifted between her feet, and pointed at Lorelai's hand. Finally, she said, "Do you think I might…?"  
  
Lorelai glanced at the packages in her hand. She smiled, tossed the strip back to Rory, and said, "Sure, knock yourself out."   
  
Rory caught the strip and said, "Thanks."  
  
When Rory turned to leave, Lorelai called, "Oh, and don't take that knock yourself out part literally." 


	10. Shopping Thepary

Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews guys, I read them all often. You all rock. FOr those that haven't reviewed yet, please do.  
  
So anyway two short chapters tonight, but more soon.  
  
ANd incase you are worried, I will finish this story.  
  
*************************************  
  
Chapter 10: Shopping Therapy  
  
Rory was looking at a blouse on a mannequin when she heard the ringing. She looked around for the source of the noise. After a moment, she realized that the sound was coming from her mom's purse which hung on her shoulder. She reached into the bag and pulled out Lorelai's cell phone.  
  
She glanced at the display, but the caller ID indicated 'UNKNOWN'. Wondering what to do, she looked towards the swinging doors that led to the changing area where her mother was trying on a pair of jeans.  
  
Deciding that the caller might be Luke or someone from the Inn, Rory pressed the talk button, put the phone to her ear and said, "Hello?"  
  
The caller paused a second before they asked, "Rory?"  
  
"Oh, hi, Grandma," Rory answered.  
  
"I'm sorry, Rory, I meant to call your mother. I must have read the wrong number in my phone book," Emily explained.  
  
"No, you called the right number," Rory replied. "I'm with mom. We're out shopping."  
  
"Oh, I didn't know you were in town."  
  
"I had a light day of classes, so I made a last minute decision to make it a long weekend at home," Rory lied.  
  
"That's nice," Emily replied. "Well, then you must come over for dinner."  
  
Realizing that a dinner with Emily and Richard would not be good for her mother, Rory started to panic, "Oh, aaa… I don't know. I think mom had big plans for us this weekend."  
  
"I'll talk to your mother. Where is she?"  
  
"She can't come to the phone right now. She's trying on some clothes."  
  
"Who's trying on clothes?"  
  
Rory jumped at Lorelai's sudden appearance behind her. "You are," Rory answered.  
  
"Oh, is that your mother?" Emily asked. "Let me talk to her."  
  
Seeing no way out of it, Rory reluctantly said, "Okay."  
  
She covered the phone with her hand and said, "It's Grandma."  
  
"What does she want?" Lorelai whispered.  
  
"She knows I'm in town and wants us to come over for dinner."  
  
Lorelai shook her head and said, "I really don't think I can take her tonight."  
  
"You'll have to tell her that."  
  
Lorelai sighed and reluctantly reached out for the phone. She put the phone to her ear and said, "Hi Mom."  
  
"Lorelai, Rory's in town," Emily stated.  
  
"I know that, Mom, she's standing in front of me."  
  
"Well I was thinking that you should come over for dinner tonight. It will be like old times," Emily said.  
  
"I don't know if that will work out Mom."  
  
"Well, of course, you can bring Luke with you."  
  
"That's not the problem, mom."  
  
"Well, then what is?" Emily asked.  
  
"We're just busy, that's all."  
  
"Well, surely you can change your plans this once. We never get to see Rory anymore."  
  
"I don't know Mom."  
  
"Lorelai, if I didn't know better, I would say that you are trying to avoid us."  
  
"I'm not trying to avoid you, Mom," Lorelai replied.  
  
"Well, good, it's settled," Emily said. "I'll tell Trina to start preparing for dinner. Will 7 o'clock be good?"  
  
Lorelai started to tell her mother what she could do with 7 o'clock, but she relented and said, "Seven will be fine Mom. We'll see you then."  
  
"Wonderful. We'll see you at seven."  
  
"Alright, Mom. See you at seven."  
  
Lorelai turned off the phone and looked at Rory. The younger Gilmore looked cowed and said, "I'm sorry."  
  
Lorelai put the cell back in her purse and said, "Didn't I teach you not to answer other people's phones?"  
  
"I'm sorry," shrugged Rory, "I thought that it might be Luke or the Inn."  
  
"That's alright," Lorelai sighed. "Come on, let's go."  
  
"Where?" Rory asked as she began to follow her mother.  
  
"Well since we have to go to dinner, we might as well buy new dresses. That way something good will come out of it." 


	11. Revealing Conversations

Chapter 11: Revealing Conversations  
  
Luke listened as the phone rang for the third time, then it was picked up on the other end and he heard an unexpected voice say, "Hello?"  
  
Confused, Luke paused for a second before venturing, "Rory?"  
  
"Oh, hi, Luke."  
  
"What are you doing there?" Luke asked, but before Rory could respond, he answered his own question, "Your mother called you. Did she tell you what's going on?"  
  
"Luke, my mother and I tell each other everything."  
  
"Everything, what do you mean everything?" Luke asked.  
  
"Mom and I have no secrets."  
  
"So, what exactly has she told you?" Luke asked, feeling sweat break out on his forehead.  
  
"Well, let's just say that the next time I eat at the diner, I'll be looking at the area behind the counter a whole lot differently."  
  
"Oh, God!"  
  
"Is activity like that considered sanitary, Luke?"  
  
"Oh, jeez." Luke took a deep breath before continuing, "Look, if you don't mind, I'm going to pretend that we never had this conversation. Otherwise, I'm never going to be able to look you in the eye again. Okay?"  
  
"Sure, Luke," Rory answered. "Do you want to talk to Mom?"  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"She's outside talking with Babette, but I can get her."  
  
"Before you do, can you tell me how she's doing?" Luke asked.  
  
Rory paused before replying. Luke feared that she might not answer, but she eventually she said, "She's holding up, but I think she's scared."  
  
"Scared?"  
  
"Yeah," Rory answered. "She's scared that things might not work out between you two. She really loves you, you know."  
  
"I love her too. It's just…" Luke let the statement hang.  
  
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Luke," Rory offered.  
  
"That's good, cause I don't exactly understand myself." Luke shifted ears then asked, "I guess she's pretty ticked at me right now?"  
  
Rory paused for a moment considering her response, then said, "I think she's a little hurt by things, but at the same time I think she understands. Does that make sense?"  
  
"As much sense as anything I can come up with."  
  
"Well, at least she has something to take her mind off of things tonight."  
  
"What's that?" Luke asked.  
  
"We got invited over to my grandparents for dinner."  
  
"I bet you Mom's real thrilled."  
  
"That's not the word I'd use." Rory was quiet for a moment then said, "Oh, I hear Mom coming. Want to talk to her?"  
  
"Yeah, I do. But could you not tell her what we talked about?"  
  
"Luke your secret is safe with me."  
  
Luke chuckled and said, "Somehow I'm not so sure about that."  
  
A moment later, he heard Lorelai say, "Hi, honey."  
  
"Hi."  
  
Luke was unsure how start, but he was saved when Lorelai asked, "How was your flight?"  
  
"It was fine."  
  
"And the hotel?"  
  
Luke looked around the room and answered, "The hotel is nice. You picked out a good one."  
  
"Well I do know a thing or two about hotels."  
  
"I suppose you do," Luke replied.  
  
"So how's Dayton?"  
  
"It's fine, I guess."  
  
"What did you do today?"  
  
"Not much so far, but in a little while I'm going to get some dinner, then after that I'll go by the funeral home."  
  
"I'm not sure how to respond to that," Lorelai said. "I mean I can't say something like, have a good time."  
  
"I'm not sure there is a good way to respond," Luke replied. "So speaking of having a good time, I hear you're going to your folks tonight. How'd you manage that?"  
  
"Errrr, I don't want to talk about it," Lorelai declared.   
  
"Okay, I'll drop it."  
  
"Oh, I just remembered something," Lorelai said. "Hold on, let me go up stairs."  
  
Luke heard Lorelai say something to Rory then the line was quiet for a moment. Finally he heard what sounded like a door closing then Lorelai came back on the line and said, "Okay, I'm in our room, and I want to ask you something."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
Lorelai paused then in a sultry voice she asked, "What are you wearing?"  
  
"Oh, jeez, Lorelai, not now," Luke groaned. 


	12. No One Suspects Jacob Marley

Chapter 12: No One Suspects Jacob Marley  
  
Luke took advantage of a red light to check the map that Lorelai had provided. According to the map, the funeral home should be just ahead. Once the light changed, he proceeded up the street. Within moments, the map proved right when he saw the sign that said, Reese and Sons Funeral Home.  
  
The large brick building sat back from the road on top of a very slight rise. The building was simultaneously pleasant and intimidating. But Luke could never remember a funeral home that wasn't intimidating.  
  
Luke pulled into the adjacent lot and found a spot to park his rental. He sighed deeply and looked at his watch noting that it was 6:50pm. Luke reached onto the seat next to him and picked up the instructions that Lorelai had painstakingly written out and confirmed again that visitation was from 6 to 9pm.   
  
Luke ran his finger over Lorelai's flowing handwriting, missing her deeply. Since he had moved into Lorelai's house almost two years ago, they had spent some time apart. She had been gone for a whole month the summer after Rory graduated Chilton, when she and Rory had gone on their hiking trip to Europe. They had both tried to talk him into coming with them, but Luke had declined, citing not wanting to leave the diner for that long.  
  
However Luke's real reason was he knew that that time should be just be between the Gilmore girls, because with Rory getting ready to start college, he knew that Lorelai would want the time alone with Rory. Even though Lorelai wouldn't admit it, he knew that she appreciated his allowing her their time alone.  
  
Despite the fact that they had spent time apart before, this time it was very different. Before when they had been apart, it was due to some outside influence that required it, never of their own choice.   
  
Luke shook his head trying to decide what had gone wrong. He loved Lorelai so much, and he had loved her for such a long time. The day that she had told him that she wanted him to be a bigger part of her life, had been one of the happiest days of his life. At the time he had thought that it wouldn't be topped, but in the time they had been together, he had had many days that were just as happy, if not happier than that one.  
  
So why, if he still loved Lorelai, was he having such a hard time with Rachel's death? It wasn't like he had ever hated Rachel. Even though she left him on more that one occasion, he had never stopped caring. But was it more that that? Were these feelings he was having due to the fact that he loved Rachel, or maybe it was due to guilt, over the way he had treated her the last time they were together? Looking back, he couldn't blame her for leaving that time. He had driven her away because he couldn't fully commit to her due to his feelings for Lorelai. And now that he was with Lorelai, he was suddenly having trouble fully committing to her because of all these unresolved Rachel feelings.  
  
Luke looked up from his contemplations about life and love to the door of the funeral home. Well, he thought, to try and exercise the ghost from his system was the reason he was here and sitting in the car was not getting that done.  
  
He glanced at his watch, noting that he had been sitting there for fifteen minutes. He sighed and buttoned the color of his dress shirt and tightened the tie. He glanced at his hair in the rear view mirror. Feeling naked without his cap, he ran a hand through the hair, in an effort to straighten it.  
  
He got out of the car, and then reached into the back seat to retrieve his suit coat, before closing the door and pocketing the keys. He put on the jacket then headed towards the door.  
  
As he neared the door, he noted an elderly couple approaching from the other direction. He hurried ahead the last few steps and pulled open the door, allowing the couple to enter ahead of him. The elderly woman smiled her thanks, and then entered the building.  
  
Luke followed the couple into a large foyer that had hallways branching to the left and right, in addition to straight ahead. His eyes searched the foyer till he found the sign used to indicate which room he was looking for. The second line indicated that R. Cooper was in parlor 2 & 3 which were in the hallway straight ahead.  
  
Luke watched the older couple head down the hall on the right towards Chapel A. Nervously wiping his hands on his slacks, he headed down the hallway ahead.  
  
A short way down the hall on the left, he saw a sign by a door indicating that it was the entrance to Parlor two. Outside the door was a pedestal holding a book for visitors to sign. Luke waited for a couple with a small girl of about seven to finish at the book. The mother signed the book while the father held the girl who wore a blue dress with large white polka-dots on it.  
  
The little girl stared at Luke, making him feel nervous. After a moment, she smiled and waved at him. Not knowing what else to do, Luke smiled and waved back.   
  
The little girl was blond, but her hair had the same curl that Rachel's did, making Luke wonder what Rachel's kids might have looked like. The thought caused a wave of grief to sweep over Luke, with a sinking feeling in his gut.  
  
After a moment, the mom finished and the family stepped away from the pedestal, making room for Luke. He moved to the pedestal, taking the pen in hand. He looked for the next available line to sign on, noting that it was number 131. He quickly scanned some of the other entries on the same page and noted that many were from out of state.  
  
Luke finished signing the guest register, and then took a deep breath. He stared at the sign on the door that said R. Cooper, trying to steel himself for what lay ahead.  
  
Before he could start towards the door, he heard a strangely familiar voice behind him say, in a slightly teasing way, "You've come this far you might as well go in."  
  
Luke turned to look at the speaker. When he saw her, his mind went into overload, telling him what he saw could not be possible. He blinked trying to clear his vision, but the image refused to change. He thought, this can not be possible, as he took in her trademark curly auburn hair, and brilliant smile. It was Rachel. 


	13. If This is Friday, This Must be Hartford

Chapter 13: If It's Friday, This Must be Hartford  
  
"You know," Lorelai said to Rory as they got out of her SUV, "I haven't missed these Friday night dinners at all."  
  
"Well, try and think happy thoughts," Rory suggested.  
  
After they arrived at the door, Lorelai looked at Rory and asked, "How do I look?"  
  
Rory looked her mother over then said, "Beautiful. How about me?"  
  
"Beautifuler."  
  
"Thank you, Mom. And thanks again for the dress."  
  
"No problem." Lorelai pointed at the dress and added, "You know I hear that blue is the new teal."  
  
Rory reached out and rang the door bell as she said, "You don't say."  
  
Before Lorelai could respond, the door opened, revealing Richard Gilmore, wearing a blue sports coat, and a red bow tie. He smiled brightly and said, "Hello, girls."  
  
Rory smiled back and said, "Hi, Grandpa." Rory stepped through the door and hugged her grandfather.  
  
After a moment, they stepped back and Lorelai said, "You know, Dad, I don't know if I ever remember you answering the door before."  
  
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Lorelai, "Richard replied. "I've answered the door many times."  
  
Lorelai shrugged and said, "If you say so."  
  
Lorelai and Rory followed Richard into the family room. Lorelai asked, "Where's Mom?"  
  
"She's right here."  
  
Everyone turned to see the speaker, Emily entering from the dinning room. "I was checking on things in the kitchen."   
  
Emily turned to Rory and said, "There she is."   
  
"Hi, Grandma," Rory said as the two women embraced.  
  
As Emily led Rory to the sofa, she said, "You have to tell me all about school."  
  
"Can I get you something to drink, Mom?" Lorelai asked from near the liquor cart.  
  
"Thank you, Lorelai. I'll have white wine."  
  
Lorelai filled a glass for herself and her mother. As Lorelai handed Emily the glass, Emily looked around and asked, "Where's Luke?"  
  
As Lorelai sat down in a chair, she glanced at Rory, and then said, "Oh, he couldn't make it."  
  
"I thought he was the owner of the diner," Emile said. "He couldn't get one of his employees to work tonight?"  
  
Lorelai suppressed her first response. Instead she said, "He is the owner, Mom." Lorelai knew she should drop the subject, but she said, "But he didn't have to work tonight."  
  
"Oh, really," Emily stated. "What could be so important that he refused a dinner invitation?"  
  
"He didn't refuse, mom, he just couldn't accept."  
  
"I fail to see the difference," Emily said.  
  
"No, Mom, you wouldn't," Lorelai replied.  
  
"So, Grandma," Rory said, trying to divert the budding argument, "how was your trip to Martha's Vineyard this year?"  
  
Not taking the bait, Emily said, "Well, could I at least know what was so important that your fiancée felt it was ok to be rude? What was it, bowling night?"  
  
"No," Lorelai scoffed, "it is not bowling night."  
  
"So, what is it?" Emily challenged.  
  
"It's nothing Mom, he just had other commitments, and since this came up last minute, I told him not to come."  
  
"What kind of commitments?"  
  
"Mom, it's none of your business."  
  
"Well, there's no need to get defensive about it, Lorelai," Emily replied. "I just thought that since Luke is going to be part of this family, he would want to participate in family gatherings. I didn't mean the invitation to be an inconvenience."  
  
"There's no inconvenience, Mom," Lorelai responded, the argument beginning to cause her stomach to churn. "Like I said, he had other commitments."  
  
"Well, I hope he doesn't feel unwelcome here, because Lord knows, I've done my best to make him feel welcome," Emily said.  
  
"No, Mom, Luke feels welcome here," Lorelai replied. "Maybe more welcome than I do. It's like I said…"  
  
"I know, I know," Emily interrupted. "He had other commitments." Emily shrugged and turned back to Rory and asked, "So, tell me, how is Kyle?" 


	14. Subsitution Anxiety

Chapter 14: Substitution Anxiety   
  
Luke stared at the girl for a long moment, trying to reconcile the impossible with the obvious. After a moment, something about the girl's eyes struck him as different. This was quickly followed by several other subtle differences, then finally the realization that the person in front of him looked about five years younger than the last time he saw Rachel.  
  
Luke finally began to fit the pieces into place. He pointed a finger at the girl in front of him and said, "You're, Virginia, right? Rachel's sister?"  
  
The girl smiled at him and said, "It's Regina and yes, Rachel was my older sister. It's nice that you remember me, Luke."  
  
"Of course, I remember you," Luke smiled. "You used to visit Rachel all the time, and I came with her when you graduated from Northwestern."  
  
Regina smiled shyly and with a shrug asked, "So then can I get a hug?"  
  
Luke paused a second then smiled nervously and said, "Oh, well sure." He self-consciously stepped up and they embraced, for a long moment. Luke couldn't help notice that it was almost like he had his arms around Rachel again. He closed his eyes, letting himself get caught up in the moment, and then suddenly a massive wave of guilt hit him. His eyes popped open and he was unsure if he was cheating on Lorelai, Rachel, or both. He suddenly realized just how many things he had to get sorted out.  
  
Luke released Regina, stepped back and asked, "So, how are you doing?"  
  
The question hung between them for a long second before Luke said, "Oh, jeez. What a stupid question. I am so sorry."  
  
Regina smiled and said, "No, it's not a stupid question. I'm doing fine. I live in Chicago now. How are you?  
  
"I'm good."  
  
"Last time I spoke with Rachel, you still owned that diner. How's that going?"  
  
"The diner's fine, keeps me busy."   
  
"That's great. You know, I've never had pancakes as good as yours. You'll have to teach me how you do it."  
  
"Sure, I can do that." Silence hung between them for a moment, till Luke asked, "So, how are your parents doing?"  
  
Regina rolled her eyes and said, "They're fighting as usual. They've been divorced for fifteen years, you'd think they could get along for a little while."  
  
Luke shrugged and said, "Well, different people have different ways of dealing with the pain and grief."  
  
Regina nodded and replied, "I guess they do. How do you deal with it, Luke?"  
  
Luke looked at his shoes and remembering the incident last night in Lorelai's kitchen, said, "Peanut butter."  
  
"Peanut butter?" Regina responded, confused. "You eat peanut butter?"  
  
Luke shook his head and said, "No, not exactly. Can we not talk about this right now?"  
  
"Sure." Regina stepped up to Luke and took his arm. "Ready to go in?"  
  
Luke took a deep breath and then said, "Yeah."  
  
Regina led Luke into the room. At the far end of the room, Luke could see the casket, partially obscured by other mourners. Luke noted that the casket appeared to be a highly polished dark wood. Luke nodded, thinking that Rachel would approve. Standing next to the casket he recognized Rachel's parents, Gene and Alice. Feeling numb, Luke allowed Regina to guide him towards the front of the room.  
  
As they neared the front some of the milling people moved out of the way allowing Luke to view the entire casket. Behind the casket was a large picture of a smiling Rachel. But something else he saw caused Luke to stop in his tracks.  
  
"What's the matter, Luke?" Regina asked.  
  
"I… I didn't realize that it would be closed casket. I…"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Regina apologized. "I thought you knew."  
  
"That's okay, I should have realized."  
  
Regina nodded then asked, "Are you okay?"  
  
Luke took a deep breath then said, "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
Still holding Luke's arm, Regina started walking again, forcing Luke to follow along. She smiled at him and said, "Come on. I think my parents will be pleased to see you." 


	15. Put on the Boxing Gloves and Sit Down to...

Chapter 15: Put On The Boxing Gloves And Sit Down To Dinner  
  
Emily noticed Lorelai absentmindedly pushing her food around her plate without eating much. Being a concerned mother and hostess, Emily asked, "Is your roast not done, Lorelai?"  
  
Surprised, Lorelai looked up and said, "Oh no, Mom. It's fine. I'm just not that hungry."  
  
"Are you feeling alright?" Emily asked.  
  
"I don't know. I might be coming down with something."  
  
"Well, have you seen a doctor?"  
  
"No Mom, it only just started."  
  
"Well, don't let it go to long."  
  
"I won't mom."  
  
"I'm serious, Lorelai. If you don't have your health, nothing else matters," Emily counseled.  
  
"You're right, Mom. If I'm not better by Monday, I'll call the doctor."  
  
Emily turned to her granddaughter, and said, "You know, Rory, the next time you come into town you should bring Kyle with you. I'd love to have him for dinner."  
  
"Yeah," Lorelai said, looking at Rory with a smile in her eyes. "I'm sure he'd love to check out your bedroom upstairs."  
  
It took Rory a second to get Lorelai's jibe, but once she did, she reddened slightly. She knew from experience that she couldn't kick her mother from where she sat, but that didn't prevent her from giving her mother an angry look.  
  
  
  
Not being in on the joke, Emily asked, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Nothing, Mom," Lorelai explained, "Just a little mother-daughter joke."  
  
"Well, I like a good joke, explain it to me."  
  
Lorelai shook her head and said, "By the time I explained it to you, it wouldn't be that funny."  
  
"I'm sure that's not true. You're such a wonderful story teller," Emily said.  
  
Lorelai appeared to think about it a second, then said, "I don't think you'd find this funny, Mom."  
  
Emily started to protest, but Lorelai interrupted, "Trust me, Mom, you don't want to know."  
  
Emily shrugged and gave up. Instead, she decided to bring up a different topic, "Well, you'll have to tell Luke that he missed a great dinner."  
  
Lorelai closed her eyes, and took a long breath before she answered, "I will, Mom."  
  
"And make sure he knows that he's always welcome."  
  
"I will, Mom."  
  
"I want you to tell him that he's part of the family."  
  
"I will mom," Lorelai answered. "I'll tell him as soon as he gets back from Ohio."  
  
"Ohio? What's Luke doing in Ohio?" Emily inquired.  
  
Lorelai closed her eyes, mentally kicking herself. She considered trying to throw Emily off the sent, but she decided that it was inevitable, so she said, "He, a… He went to a funeral."  
  
"A funeral, oh dear," Emily said, "who died?"  
  
Lorelai played with her food as she answered, "An old friend."  
  
"Well, why didn't you tell me he went to attend a friend's funeral?" Emily asked.  
  
"I aaa… I don't know," Lorelai apologized.  
  
"Was Luke close to this person?"  
  
Lorelai shrugged and answered, "Yeah, I guess so."  
  
"Were they very old?"  
  
Lorelai pushed a pea around her plate and said, "Mid-thirties, I guess."  
  
"Luke must be very upset."  
  
"Yeah, a bit," Lorelai replied.  
  
"What is his friend's name?" Emily asked stood up and walked into the next room.  
  
"What's that?" Lorelai called after her mother.  
  
Emily returned a few seconds later, holding a day planner and a pen, and asked, "What is Luke's friend's name? I want to send some flowers."  
  
"That's nice of you, Mom, but you don't have to do that, I already sent some."  
  
"But I want to," Emily replied. "Luke is family, and it's what you do for family."  
  
"That's really not necessary, Mom."  
  
Emily shook her head and said, "I won't take no for an answer. What's Luke's friend's name?"  
  
Lorelai looked at Rory, but all her daughter could offer was a shrug. Lorelai sighed and said, "Cooper. Rachel Cooper."  
  
Emily wrote the name in her planner, and then said, "And what funeral home are…" Suddenly, Emily fit the pieces together. She closed the pen in the planner, and then let the hand holding the book fall to her side, as she looked sternly at Lorelai, and asked, "Who is Rachel?"  
  
Lorelai felt small under her mother's gaze. She started to reply, but her stomach chose that moment to go into rebellion. "Uh-oh," Lorelai managed, before she covered her mouth with her hand, jumped out of her seat, and ran for the bathroom.  
  
The three remaining Gilmores looked at each other. Rory was the first one to speak as she stood up, "I guess she's coming down with the flu. I'll go check on her." 


	16. The Shirt off My Back

Chapter 16: The Shirt Off My Back  
  
From the driver's seat of her mother's SUV, Rory listened as her mother softly cried. She had to force herself to remain calm when she thought about the way her grandmother had verbally abused her mom. Emily had been in rare form tonight, calling Lorelai incredibly stupid for allowing Luke to go traipsing off to see some old girlfriend. It didn't matter if Rachel was dead or not, it was practically cheating to do so.  
  
What had really bothered Rory is that her mother had allowed it to happen. Rory had always admired the way her mother could go toe to toe with Emily in their verbal sparring matches. Lorelai almost always gave at least as good as she got. That had not been the case tonight. For nearly an hour, Lorelai had just sat on the couch, taking the abuse from Emily, while wiping away an occasional tear.  
  
Finally, Rory had to intervene and get her mother out of that house. Then five minutes after they left, Lorelai pulled to the side of the road, and asked Rory to drive because she was crying so hard she couldn't see. They had spent the next half hour holding hands in near silence, except for Lorelai's occasional sniffles.  
  
When she parked the SUV in front of her mother's house, Rory asked, "Are you going to be alright?"  
  
Lorelai sniffed and used a tissue to try and wipe her eyes. She nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll be fine."  
  
After they had gotten out of the vehicle and started towards the house, Rory said, "I just can't believe how mean Grandma was tonight."  
  
"Yeah, she was in rare form." Lorelai smiled at Rory and said, "But so were you. You really let her have it."  
  
Rory grimaced and asked, "Was it that bad?"  
  
"You told her she was being mean and insensitive," Lorelai started. "Then you asked her if she even had a clue what the word compassion meant?"  
  
Rory sighed and said, "It was bad."  
  
"You left her speechless, and believe me when I say that is quite an accomplishment."  
  
They arrived at the door as Rory said, "She'll probably hate me now."  
  
"No, you'll be fine. By tomorrow, she'll have figured out a way to make everything my fault."  
  
Once inside, Lorelai looked at the answering machine and noted a flashing message light. She pushed the play button and heard Luke's voice, "Ah, hi. It's me. I just thought you might be home, but I guess not. Anyway, if you feel like it give me a call on the cell. Love ya. Bye."  
  
Rory looked at the mother and asked, "Are you gonna call him?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll give him a call after I get into some comfy clothes."  
  
"Well," Rory started, "I'm sure you'll feel better when you talk to Luke." Rory pointed towards her room, and said, "I'm going to get changed and do some school work."  
  
Lorelai nodded, and Rory turned towards her room, but Lorelai stopped her, "Oh, Rory."  
  
Rory turned back towards her mother and asked, "Yeah?"  
  
Lorelai's lower lip quivered as she said, "I'm really glad you're here. Thanks."  
  
Rory watched as the tears started to flow down Lorelai's cheeks. She wrapped her arms around her mother. Lorelai rested her head on Rory's shoulder and sobbed once, while Rory stroked her head.   
  
After a moment, Lorelai stepped back wiped at the tears with her hand and said, "I'm sorry, I just can't seem to stop that tonight."  
  
"That's alright, Mom, this must be really hard for you."  
  
Lorelai nodded in response.  
  
Rory placed a hand on Lorelai's shoulder and said, "We'll get through this." Lorelai shrugged in response so Rory continued, "Okay, go upstairs and put on some sweats, then call Luke. Then after you get off the phone, we can fill up on ice cream, okay?  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Lorelai now dressed in sweats and a t-shirt picked up the phone and sat down on the couch. She propped her feet on the coffee table as she dialed Luke's cell number. While she listened to the phone ring, she grabbed the afghan, and put it over her feet.  
  
After four rings, the phone had not been picked up and switched over to voicemail. Luke had never recorded a greeting, so she got the canned request to leave a message. Surprised that Luke had not picked up, she said, "Hi, sweetie. It's me, Lorelai, but you better know that cause no one else should be calling you sweetie. Anyway, I'm home, and if you get this and feel like talking, I'll be up for a while. So, bye. Love you."  
  
As Lorelai started to turn off the cordless, she was wondering why Luke didn't answer the phone. Her pondering was cut short when the phone rang in her hand. She turned on the phone, held it to her ear and said, "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, did you just call?" Lorelai heard Luke say over the phone.  
  
"Yeah, I did. I left you a voicemail."  
  
"I'm sorry," Luke said. "I fell asleep, and by the time I got to the phone you were gone."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."  
  
"No, I'm glad you did," Luke replied. "I fell asleep at a weird angle watching TV. You just saved me from a massive stiff neck."  
  
"Well, glad to be of service."  
  
"I saw the flowers you sent. They were real nice," Luke acknowledged.  
  
"No problem."  
  
"I'm glad you thought of sending some, cause I sure didn't"  
  
"Well, you've had other stuff on your mind."  
  
"So, can I ask why you didn't sign both of our names, instead of just mine?" Luke asked.  
  
"I don't know it just seemed like they should be from just you. You're not mad, are you?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"No, either way is fine. I just wanted to thank you," Luke replied.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"So, how was dinner at your folks?" Luke asked.  
  
"Awful, horrible, and terrible."  
  
"So, just about the usual."  
  
"Oh no, this was ten times worse," Lorelai said. "This was a hundred times worse. This was…"  
  
"Okay, I think I get the picture. What happened?"  
  
Lorelai rested her forehead in her hand and sighed," Oh, Luke, it was terrible. My mother started on me almost as soon as we walked in the door, and it didn't stop for over two and a half hours."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that."  
  
"And the worst part of it is I just sat there and let her do it. Rory had to save me."  
  
"Rory?" asked Luke.  
  
"Yes, she stood up and told my mother to shut up."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep. And she threw in quite a few colorful words in for good measure."  
  
"Really? I've never heard Rory use aaa… colorful language."  
  
"Well, she did," Lorelai declared. "And I think she picked it up from you, cause I sure as hell… I mean, heck, don't talk like that."  
  
"No, your language is always rated G."  
  
"Damn straight."  
  
"So, was Rory really using colorful language?"  
  
"Yeah, right," Lorelai replied. "Come on, this is Rory we're talking about."  
  
"So, what was your mom angry about?" Luke asked.  
  
Lorelai paused before she sighed and said, "You."  
  
"Me?" Luke asked. "What did I do?"  
  
Lorelai explained as well as she could Emily's rants. Once she finished, Luke sighed and said, "Lorelai, I am so sorry. I feel responsible."  
  
"No, Luke," Lorelai replied, "It's not you. It's just my mother being… Well, my mother."  
  
They were silent for a moment, before Lorelai said, "But I at least got a new dress."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Yeah, I figured that since I had to go to my mother's, I deserved something nice."  
  
"That's good, you deserve it."  
  
"I'm glad you think so," Lorelai started, "because I needed new shoes to go with the dress, and I saw this great bag. And they were on sale so I bought three pairs of pantyhose."  
  
"You bought all that stuff?"  
  
"No, not really," Lorelai replied.  
  
"Good," Luke said sounding relieved.  
  
"Yeah, I only got two pairs of hose."  
  
"Ah, well, I'm glad you restrained yourself," Luke said.  
  
"So, how was your evening?" Lorelai asked.  
  
Luke sighed then said, "Believe it or not, it may have been less fun than yours."  
  
"Really?" Lorelai asked. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"Well," Luke started. "First I thought I saw Rachel, alive."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"It turned out to be her younger sister Regina. But I swear that at first glance, she looked just like Rachel."  
  
"Wow, that must have been spooky."  
  
"Yeah, but that was just the start."  
  
"Really? What else?"  
  
"Well, I hadn't expected a closed casket."  
  
"Oh, my God. I hadn't even considered that."  
  
"Yeah, me neither, but it stands to reason."  
  
"How do you feel about that?" Lorelai asked.  
  
Luke paused for a second before he answered, "I don't know. One part of me thinks that if I see her there it will help me with, what did you call it? Oh, yeah, closure."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"But on the other hand, I think if I saw her like… like that, I don't think I could bear it."  
  
Tears started down Lorelai's cheeks again. She reached for a tissue as she said, "Uh-huh."  
  
"Then I spoke with her parents, they were like oh it's so good to see you, and they start introducing me as Rachel's boyfriend. I tried to explain to them that Rachel and I weren't together and that you and I are getting married in June, but…"  
  
"But, what, honey?"  
  
"It's like they heard me but wouldn't acknowledge it. I've never met anyone that much in denial."  
  
Lorelai chuckled, and managing to hide the sarcasm, said, "Yeah, me, neither."  
  
"And now they are insisting that I come meet them in the morning and ride in the family limo to the service."  
  
"That's real nice of them, Luke."  
  
"I don't know, it feels wrong, I'm not family." Luke paused for a moment then continued, "I don't know, maybe I should…"  
  
"Should what?"  
  
"Maybe I should just say forget it all, and get on a plane in the morning back to Hartford."  
  
Lorelai wanted to shout agreement into the phone, but instead she said, "Oh, Luke, you don't want to do that. If you do that, you'll regret it later."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Luke, it's just one more day. You'll be sorry if you don't stay."  
  
Luke was quiet for a long moment before. Eventually he replied, "Yeah, I suppose you're right."  
  
"Hey. Aren't I always right?"  
  
"It happens from time to time, but not too often."  
  
They spent the next ten minutes exchanging their own unique brand of banter. Finally, Lorelai said, "I better let you get back to sleep. You got a rough day ahead of you tomorrow."  
  
"I don't know, are you sure I can't just come home?"  
  
"Good night, Luke. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Lorelai."  
  
"I love you more," Lorelai taunted.  
  
"Good night, Lorelai. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Luke said and then he was gone.  
  
Lorelai turned off the cordless and reached for another tissue. As she sat the phone on the coffee table, she noticed the small pile of tissues sitting beside her. She finished wiping her eyes, then stood up and walked into the kitchen.  
  
Once she threw away the tissues, she stood in thought. After a moment, she walked into Rory's room and sat on the bed. "Hey, kiddo."  
  
Rory smiled at her and said, "Hey back at ya. How's Luke?"  
  
Lorelai fluffed her hair and sounding very aloof said, "He's fine but he misses me terribly."  
  
"Of course, who wouldn't?" Rory closed her book and asked, "So you want to watch a movie or something?"  
  
Lorelai reached out and rubbed Rory's knee and said, "No, I think I'm kinda tired. I'm just going to go to bed."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
Lorelai stood up and said, "Yeah, I just want to go to sleep."  
  
"Okay, just as long as you're not planning on going to you room and cry alone. That's not healthy."  
  
"Nope. I'm just going to go to sleep.  
  
"Alright. See you in the morning."  
  
"Night, sweetie," Lorelai said as she left Rory's room.  
  
A minute later, Lorelai sat quietly on the end of her bed, staring at the floor. After a couple more minutes, she sighed and looked around the room. She stood and walked to a basket of clean laundry. She reached into the basket and pulled out one of Luke's shirts. She smelt the shirt, recognizing Luke's scent.  
  
With the shirt in hand, she turned off the light. She climbed into bed, and lay on her side. Holding Luke's shirt close to her chest, she quietly cried herself to sleep. 


	17. Breakfast of Champions

Author note: Hi all, I assume if you've gotten this far, that you are enjoying this story. That's great. For all of you, who have posted a review, let me say, "You ROCK!" For those that haven't reviewed, why not????? It only takes a minute, and it makes my day. Think of a review as payment for the story. I grantee that you will not find a better value for you entertainment dollar( or pound, or franc, or whatever). IF that doesn't motivate you just take note that more reviews, make me write, and post faster.  
  
If you can't think of anything else to say, in your review, tell me what was the funniest line or scene in the chapter.  
  
Just remember there are no small reviews, just small minds, and most of those watch reality TV. (Apologizes to anyone who watches reality TV).  
  
Okay, I'm sure you're tired of me now on with the next chapter, where we discover something sinister is afoot at Al's Pancake World.  
  
**********************************  
  
Chapter 17: The Breakfast Of Champions  
  
The next morning, as they walked out of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk, Rory asked Lorelai, "So, when did Al's Pancake World start serving pancakes again?"  
  
"I don't know. A couple of months ago, I guess."  
  
"Well, I don't know how I feel about this," Rory declared.  
  
"I know," Lorelai replied. "It kind of throws your whole world image out of kilter. The next thing you know, they'll be telling us that the world is not flat."  
  
"It's not, didn't you hear?" Rory asked.  
  
"No, I guess I didn't get that memo." They walked in silence for a while and then Lorelai reached out an arm, wrapped it around Rory's shoulder and said, "You know, I really miss this sometimes, you and me, just hanging out and talking nonsense."  
  
Rory nodded and said, "Yeah, me too. But who said that Al's Pancake World serving pancakes again is nonsense?"  
  
Lorelai held up her hands defensively and said, "Not me."  
  
They walked towards home for a few minutes, while Rory talked about school, and friends. Eventually Rory noticed that Lorelai had fallen quiet. "Mom?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, sweetie?"  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Lorelai nodded and answered, "Yeah."  
  
Not convinced, Rory asked, "Mom?"  
  
Lorelai shrugged put her hand on her stomach, and said, "My breakfast isn't sitting too well."  
  
"Are you going to be alright?"  
  
"I think so, but if you don't mind, could we walk a little faster?"  
  
A short time later, as they neared the house, Lorelai had her keys out, running the last few steps. She quickly unlocked the door and threw it open, leaving her keys in the lock. Once inside, she sprinted for the bathroom, where she proceeded to empty her stomach.  
  
After the heaving fit had passed, Lorelai sat down, her back against the wall. Rory handed her a wet cloth and asked, "Are you alright, Mom?"  
  
After she finished wiping her face, Lorelai said, "I don't know, I guess I have some kind of bug. But other than throwing up a lot, I'm fine." Lorelai stood up and continued, "Well except for last night, when I couldn't stop crying." She walked into the kitchen. "But I guess that's just a combination of my nerves being shot because of everything that's going on with Luke, then add my mother on top of that. Who wouldn't be a wreck?"  
  
Suddenly a thought struck Rory. After thinking for a second, she said, "Why don't you go upstairs and try and get some rest? Maybe you'll feel better after a nap."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea."  
  
"And while you're sleeping, if you don't mind, I'll borrow the car and pick up some things for school."  
  
"Sure, but you'll need gas." Lorelai walked out of the kitchen to get her purse. She pulled out her wallet and removed a twenty. "Here's some money for gas."  
  
Rory reached for the bill, but before she could get it, Lorelai jerked it back and asked, "Now, are you planning on picking up strange boys and drinking lots of beer?"  
  
Rory nodded and said, "Of course."  
  
Lorelai handed her the cash and said, "Okay, just checking." 


	18. Strangers and Obligations

Chapter 18: Strangers and Obligations  
  
As Luke walked away from Rachel's grave, he looked down at Regina walking beside him, clinging to his arm. She had latched onto him the moment he had arrived at her mother's house that morning and had hardly left his side since.  
  
Luke was glad to be able to provide Regina some measure of comfort, but he wondered where his responsibility ended. But even if he had exceeded his obligations, he couldn't abandon Regina when she needed him. It wasn't in his nature and he thought it was the least he could do for Rachel.  
  
As they walked towards the limo a cab drove up and parked nearby. He saw some movement inside which he assumed was the passenger paying the driver, then the door opened and a tall black woman wearing a black dress got out. The woman looked their way, waved and called out, "Regina!"  
  
"Colleen!" Regina called back as she released Luke's arm. The two women ran towards each other as well as their heels allowed and embraced.  
  
Luke approached the women and as he neared the women had separated and Luke could here Colleen saying, "…earlier, but I got bumped from my first flight out of LAX yesterday. I got on a later flight but it got delayed by bad weather somewhere over Nebraska on the way to O'Hare, so I missed my connection. Then this morning my 7:20 flight to Dayton didn't get off the ground till 11:50 because of mechanical problems. Of course I lost an hour between Chicago an here because of the time zones. So as soon as I landed, I changed at the airport and grabbed a cab straight here and that was only because I used my cell to call the funeral home to find out what cemetery. I am so sorry I'm late."  
  
Regina laughed at Colleen's story, then said, "That's okay, I'm glad you came."  
  
The women embraced again and Colleen said, "I just want you to know that I am so sorry about Rachel. I can't tell you how upset I was when I heard the news."  
  
Now that he was close enough, Luke could see that Colleen was very attractive and about Rachel's age. He knew the name from somewhere, but couldn't place it.  
  
As the women separated again, Regina said, "Thanks, Col." The women wiped tears from their eyes, then Regina grabbed Colleen's hand, and as they started walking towards, Luke said, "Colleen, I want you to meet Rachel's boyfriend, Luke Danes. Luke, this is Colleen Evans, she was Rachel's college roommate, and longtime friend."  
  
The connection made, Luke held out his hand and said, "Yeah, I remember Rachel talking about you."  
  
"Hi Luke," Colleen said. She ignored Luke's hand and wrapped her arms around him saying, "I am so sorry for your loss."  
  
Caught off guard, Luke hesitated a moment, then returned the embrace. Not quite sure what to say, he settled on, "Thanks."  
  
Once she stepped back, Colleen said, "Rachel used to say the nicest things about you when ever we talked."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
The trio stood quietly for a moment. "Colleen, I'm sorry you couldn't get here in time for the service, but would you like to go up?" Regina asked, pointing at the grave where people were still milling about, packing up chairs and flowers.  
  
Colleen looked in the direction Regina pointed. She stood silently for a moment then nodded.  
  
Regina smiled, looked at Luke and said, "You don't mind, Luke, do you?"  
  
Both women looked at Luke who, could only reply, "No, not at all."  
  
"Thanks," Regina said as she clapped onto his arm again, and turned him back towards the grave.  
  
Colleen surprised Luke when she took his other arm. As the neared the gravesite, still covered by the awning, Regina said, "Colleen, Luke and I are getting together at his hotel tonight for dinner and drinks. Would you like to join us?"  
  
Since this was the first that Luke had heard of this plan, he looked at Regina in surprise. Rachel's sister just smiled at him. He turned to look at Colleen when she replied, "Sure, if Luke doesn't mind."  
  
Unable to think of anything else to say, Luke answered. "No, I don't mind. We'd love for you to join us."  
  
"Great," Regina said, but Luke couldn't help but think it was anything but. 


	19. The Spirit of the Gift

Chapter 19: The Spirit of the Gift  
  
Two hours later, when Rory returned from her shopping trip, she found Lorelai on the couch watching TV.  
  
"Hi, sweetie," Lorelai greeted. She noticed the large bag with the logo of one of the office supply super stores and said, "Wow, you really did need some stuff for school."  
  
"Well, you know me," Rory explained, "If there's somewhere I like to shop at almost as much as the book store, it's the office supply store."  
  
"What about the candy store?"  
  
"That's good too." Rory sat down her bags, then walked to the couch and sat down saying, "So, do you feel better after your nap?"  
  
"Yeah, I do. Thanks."  
  
"How's your stomach?" Rory asked.  
  
"It's fine as long as I don't eat anything, or drink anything."  
  
"So, still a little funky, huh?"  
  
"Yeah pretty much."   
  
"So do you think you need to go to a doctor?" Rory asked.  
  
"If I'm not better in a couple of days." Lorelai grabbed Rory's knee and asked, "So, you want to do Teriyaki Joe's for lunch. They have a great new buffet."  
  
"Mom," Rory replied. "I don't think that you should be eating at Teriyaki Joe's if your stomach is giving you problems."  
  
"Oh, but that's the beauty," Lorelai started. "I can eat lots of food, throw up, then eat some more. It'll be great."  
  
"Ewww, you're sick, you know that?"  
  
"So, tell me something I don't already know."  
  
"Okay," Rory said standing, up. "I got you something while I was out."  
  
"You did? What is it?" Lorelai asked. "Is it candy?"  
  
"No, it's not candy."  
  
"Is it aaa… a new pair of boots?"  
  
"Nope, not boots," Rory answered as she walked over to her bags and picked up a small plastic bag with the logo of a big drug store chain.  
  
"Okay, then is it one of those ice scrapping thingies?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Now why would I buy you an ice scrapper?"  
  
"Well, because mine broke last winter, and you know that I'll never think to buy one myself till after I need it and since you always think ahead…"  
  
As Rory walked back to the couch, she said, "Well, I'm sure that in some alternate universe that made some kind of sense, but no, no ice scraper."  
  
"So, what then?"  
  
Rory reached into the bag, pulled out a long and narrow box and handed it to her mother. The box was half pink and half blue, with the word Expectations in a stylized script.  
  
Lorelai stared at the box for a moment, then her eyes lit up, she grabbed Rory's arm and asked, "Oh, my God, Rory, are you pregnant?"  
  
"What!? No, I am not pregnant."  
  
The smile began to erode from Lorelai's face as she said, "Then, who? Brenda?"  
  
"My roommate? No."  
  
"Lane?"  
  
"No, not Lane."  
  
Lorelai narrowed her eyes at Rory and asked, "Sookie?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Sherry?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Miss Patty?"  
  
"Yeah ,right."  
  
"Your grandmother?" Lorelai said, her eyes brightening. "Am I going to have a little brother or sister?"  
  
"What? Mom, no."  
  
Lorelai shrugged and said, "I give up. Who?"  
  
Rory looked Lorelai directly in the eyes and replied, "I think you know who."  
  
Lorelai paused for a second and then she tossed the test onto the coffee table, threw up her hands and said, "Nope, not happening."  
  
"Mom."  
  
"I am not pregnant."  
  
"Mom."  
  
"There's no way."  
  
"Mom."  
  
"Why would you even think that I might be pregnant?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe it has something to do with you being sick all the time, and being very emotional. The kind of emotions caused by raging hormones."  
  
Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, that's just a bug, or stress."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"It is."  
  
Mmm, yeah."  
  
Lorelai shook her head, and declared, "Rory, there is no way that I'm pregnant. None."  
  
"So, then you haven't got anything to lose by taking the test," Rory challenged.  
  
"You take it. You're so much better at tests than me. You even enjoy taking tests."  
  
"Cleopatra, queen of denial."  
  
"Besides," responded Lorelai. "Those things aren't always accurate."  
  
Rory reached into the bag, pulled out two more boxes, and said, "That's why I bought three."  
  
When Lorelai continued to look reluctant, Rory said, "Come on."  
  
Lorelai sat back on the couch, crossing her arms and pouting.  
  
"Look," Rory started, "if you take one, so will I. It'll be the latest in a long line of wacky Gilmore girls, mother-daughter bonding rituals." 


	20. Card Sharps

Chapter 20: Card Sharps  
  
Lorelai stared at the cards in her hand, trying to concentrate. But she failed, and her gaze drifted to the counter where the timer sat.  
  
"Hey," Rory said, from across the table. "It's not going to move any faster by you watching it."  
  
"I wasn't watching it," Lorelai denied.  
  
"Yes, you were. Now ignore the timer and let's play."  
  
"You're mean," Lorelai pouted.  
  
"It's your turn, so play."  
  
"Alright, alright." Lorelai turned back to her cards and thought about her next play. After a moment she, nodded her head and said, "Ah ha. I've got it. Are you ready?"  
  
"I'm ready."  
  
Lorelai narrowed her eyes at Rory and asked, "Do you think you can handle it?"  
  
Rory narrowed her eyes back and said, "Hit me with your best shot."  
  
"Alright, you asked for it." Lorelai looked Rory in the eyes and said, "Got any sevens?"  
  
Rory smiled and said, "Nope. Go fish."  
  
"Rats!" Lorelai reached out to draw a new card. Her hand stopped just above the cards when the timer dinged.  
  
Both Gilmore women turned and looked at the timer, then turned their gaze to the small plastic case beside it. After a moment Lorelai sat her cards on the table, turned to Rory and asked, "Are you going to look at it? It is your test after all."  
  
"I don't have to look, because I know what it's going to say."  
  
"You're positive about that, are you?"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"Because," Lorelai started, "all birth control has been proven to be totally 100% effective."  
  
"Still not worried," Rory answered.  
  
Lorelai shrugged and said, "All right, I'll look."  
  
As Lorelai started get up, Rory's hand shot out and grabbed her arm saying, "No." Rory swallowed and said, "I'll… I'll check myself."  
  
Lorelai nodded her head in response.  
  
Rory swallowed, then slowly stood and walked to the counter. She neared the counter but could not bring herself to look down, prompting Lorelai to say, "Okay, I'll look."  
  
"No. I'll do it," Rory said, before Lorelai could stand. Rory took a deep breath and looked down at the kit. When she saw the large minus sign she let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She picked up the kit, held the result towards her mother and said, "There, see. Negative just like I said."  
  
Lorelai shrugged and said, "Okay, let's get back to our game."  
  
"Wait a minute," Rory challenged. "Aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
Lorelai looked at Rory then said, "Let me see." She appeared to ponder for a moment, and then said, "Nope. Nothing. Your turn."  
  
"Nooo," Rory started, "I think it's your turn."  
  
"Nope," Lorelai replied, "I asked if you had any sevens, and you said, go fish. That makes it your turn."  
  
"That's not what I'm talking about." Rory grabbed a box off the counter, handed it to Lorelai and said, "You promised, that if I took the test first, you'd go second."  
  
"No I think you're confused," Lorelai countered. "That wasn't MOM that made that promise that was TOOOOMMMM."  
  
Rory grabbed her mother's arm and began pulling her out of her chair. "No, I don't think so." She pulled Lorelai to her feet, put the box in her hand and said, "Now go."  
  
"But…"  
  
"No buts."  
  
As Lorelai slowly moved towards the bathroom, she said, "Well, it's going to be negative."  
  
"That's fine."  
  
"Cause I'm not pregnant."   
  
"If you say so."  
  
Lorelai stopped, a panicked look on her face, and said, "But what if I am pregnant? What am I going to do?"  
  
Rory pushed her towards the bathroom and said, "First let's figure out if, then we'll worry about what."  
  
Lorelai stopped and looked at Rory with a frightened look, and said, "Honey, I'm scared."  
  
Rory hugged her mom and said, "I know, but one way or another it'll be better when we know for sure, alright?"  
  
Lorelai nodded to Rory. She took a deep breath and then turned and walked into the bathroom.  
  
Twenty minutes later Rory was back sitting at the table watching her mother pace back and forth across the kitchen. "Mom, will you sit down?"  
  
Lorelai stopped and looked at Rory for a long moment. She shrugged and sat in the chair next to Rory. She stayed there for a total of ten seconds, and then stood back up saying, "I'm sorry, I can't sit still."  
  
"Would you like me to fix you some coffee?" Rory asked.  
  
"Right," Lorelai answered. "That's the last thing I need now."  
  
Lorelai resumed her pacing. Not sure what else to do, Rory grabbed the deck of cards still sitting on the table and began to shuffle. She had just began to deal a hand of solitaire when Lorelai turned to her and asked, "Rory, what am I going to do if I'm pregnant?"  
  
"Well, the common theory is that you'll have a baby."  
  
Lorelai's eyes narrowed in anger, as she said, "Can't you be serious for just one goddamned second?"  
  
Rory's eyes grew large in shock and fear, but she remained silent.  
  
Lorelai's anger fell away as she stepped towards Rory and said, "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that."  
  
"That's okay," Rory answered, not looking up from the cards. "You're scared."  
  
"No, no, it's not alright," Lorelai said. "Here you are giving up your weekend, and study time, to be with me and try and help me, and I repay you by biting off your head. I am so sorry."  
  
Rory shook her head and replied, "That's okay, you're scared and worried."  
  
"No, that doesn't excuse me. Please forgive me."  
  
"You're forgiven."  
  
They exchanged smiles, and then said, then Lorelai asked, "But what if I am pregnant? What will I do? I mean, given the circumstances, I can't tell Luke."  
  
"Why not?" asked Rory. "I mean, last weekend you told me that you and Luke wouldn't mind getting pregnant."  
  
"Yeah, but that was before everything went crazy," Lorelai explained. "Now, if I tell Luke I'm pregnant, he might stay with me just because of the baby and that's the last thing I want."  
  
She knew the answer but Rory suggested, "Well, you could always get an abortion."  
  
"No, not an option."  
  
"Well, you tell him then," Rory started. "You say that you don't want him to feel trapped, but I don't think he'll look at it that way. The baby would be part of the equation now, and should be taken in consideration."  
  
"I know that Luke loves you and you love him," Rory continued. "Now maybe you guys won't work things out and get married, but that doesn't change the fact that you guys made a baby and that happened because you guys were in love. And even if you guys are not together, this baby will be loved by the both of you."  
  
"I know you well enough to know that you won't let Luke marry you just because of the baby," Rory said. "But I think that I know Luke well enough to know that he'll respect any decision you make and he'll do anything he can to help. That's just Luke. Now I think that I can say with some authority that you are totally capable of raising a child on your own. So I feel safe in saying that any child lucky enough to be raised by you and Luke, married or not, is going to be one very lucky kid."  
  
"And if for some reason Luke wants nothing to do with you and the baby," Rory said. "The kid could do a lot worse than having only you as a single parent. I know I wouldn't trade it for anything."  
  
Lorelai looked at her daughter, tears of pride and happiness freely flowing. "Aww honey, that is so sweet," she said as she opened her arms and stepped towards Rory.  
  
Rory, her own tears staining her cheeks, stood and met her mother in a hug.  
  
"I love you, sweetie."  
  
"I love you too, Mom."  
  
After a moment, they reluctantly broke apart, but continued to hold hands as Lorelai said, "You know this is going to sound crazy but I almost hope I am pregnant. If I get another kid half as great as you, I'll consider myself extremely lucky."  
  
At that moment, the timer dinged. Both women's heads snapped around to look at the plastic case sitting on the counter. They both stared at it for a long moment, afraid to move or speak. Finally, Rory broke the silence, "I think it's ready."  
  
Not moving Lorelai replied, "I think you're right."   
  
Still they remained unmoving, Rory eventually saying, "Do you want me to look?"  
  
With her eyes still on the case, Lorelai said, "No, I should do it."  
  
Lorelai remained stationary, so Rory said, "You know you'll have to look sometime."  
  
"I know."  
  
"So," Rory started, "do you maybe want to look together?"  
  
Lorelai paused for a long second, and then said, "No. It… It should be me."  
  
"If you're sure."  
  
Lorelai nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm sure."  
  
Lorelai released Rory's hand, and started towards the counter. After one step, she stopped, turned to Rory, smiled and said, "Wish me luck."  
  
Rory nodded and smiled, as she held up both hands displaying her crossed fingers.  
  
Lorelai smiled and nodded. She turned and took another step towards the counter, then said, "This is a good thing."  
  
Step. "A baby would be wonderful."  
  
One more step and she reached the counter, but before she looked down she turned back to Rory, who smiled and nodded encouragement.  
  
"Oh God, I'm scared," Lorelai said. She put her hand over her eyes and turned back to the counter. She felt around the counter for the plastic case, eventually finding it. Holding the case, but with her eyes still covered, she turned around.  
  
Lorelai took a deep breath, and said, "Here goes." She removed the hand covering her eyes and looked down at the case in her hand.  
  
She stood there looking at the case for a long moment, unmoving and unspeaking. Finally the suspense getting to Rory, she prompted, "Mom?"  
  
Rory's words shook Lorelai from her trance. Her shoulders slumped, her chin dropped to her chest, and her hand fell to her side.  
  
Rory released the breath she had been holding, and said, "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry."  
  
Rory stepped to her mother, putting a comforting hand on Lorelai's shoulder, and said, "I'm sorry mom. You know maybe this test is wrong, we can try again, I still have another kit."  
  
Lorelai put her free hand over her eyes, sighed deeply and said, "No, no, that's alright."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure, because…"  
  
"'Cause what Mom?"  
  
Lorelai held up the kit in her hand and said, "Because I'm pregnant."  
  
Rory looked at the case in her mother's hand and saw the large blue plus sign. Not totally comprehending, she looked at Lorelai who had a huge grin on her face. Rory found her voice and said, "You're…"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Almost simultaneously, they grabbed each other by the arms, and shrieked gleefully. Excitedly, they began to jump around and speak at the same time.  
  
"You're pregnant!"  
  
"I'm going to have a baby!"  
  
"I'm so happy for you!"  
  
The shrieking, jumping, and yelling lasted for several enthusiastic minutes. 


	21. Professional Advice

Chapter 21: Professional Advice  
  
When Luke finished brushing his teeth, he returned the cap to the toothpaste and his toothbrush to his shaving kit. He walked out of the bathroom checking his watch. He noted that he had ten minutes before the girls were supposed to arrive, so he walked to the dresser where his cell phone lay.  
  
He picked up the phone to call home, but before he could turn on the power, there was a knock at the door. He put the phone back on the dresser and crossed to the door.  
  
He opened the door to see Colleen and Regina standing there. Colleen looked comfortable in a pair of jeans and a yellow blouse. Regina, on the other hand, was dressed to kill, in a tight, bright red mini-dress with spaghetti straps, and matching red high heels.  
  
Regina had the sides of her curly auburn hair pulled back and clipped in back. Luke couldn't help but think that Rachel used to wear her hair exactly the same way. Regina looked so much like Rachel that it caused an ache in Luke's heart, because he missed her so badly.  
  
Luke continued to stare at Regina, but was shocked from his reverie when Colleen said, "We're a little early, Luke. I hope that's not a problem."  
  
"What?" Luke asked. "No. You're fine. I just need to grab my wallet and keys and I'm ready to go. Come on in if you want."  
  
Luke turned around, leaving the door open so the women could follow. As Luke reached for his wallet and keys, he heard Regina ask, "Do you mind if I use the ladies' room?"  
  
"Sure. It's right over there."  
  
"Thanks," Regina said before she headed for the restroom.  
  
As Luke put his wallet in his pocket, Colleen said, "This is a nice hotel."  
  
Luke looked around the room and replied, "Yeah, it is. My fiancé picked it out."  
  
"Youe fiancé?" Colleen asked. "I thought…"  
  
Luke leaned close and said, "I know that Regina said that I was Rachel's boyfriend, but we haven't been together for over three years."  
  
"I thought I remembered Rachel telling me that you guys had split up."  
  
"Yeah," Luke admitted. "It just didn't work out."  
  
"So," asked Colleen, "This fiancée, is it Lorie or Laura?"  
  
"Lorelai," Luke corrected. "Rachel told you about her?"  
  
"That's a pretty name," Colleen said. "Yeah, Rachel said that she was real nice and she thought you guys would end up together."  
  
"She said that about Lorelai, huh?" When Luke received an answering nod from Colleen, he continued, "That was real nice of her."  
  
"That's the kind of person that Rachel was."  
  
Luke stared off in the distance, sighed and said, "Yep, Rachel was the best."  
  
They were quiet for a moment, then Colleen spoke, "So, feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but it seems to me that you have some unresolved feelings for Rachel."  
  
"That obvious' huh?"  
  
"'Fraid so."  
  
Luke sighed and sat on the bed, "Yeah. Even thought things didn't work out with Rachel, I never stopped caring about her. But things just didn't work out, and I thought was okay with that, I thought I had moved on."   
  
Colleen nodded and said, "And now with Rachel's death, you have to deal with all these unresolved feelings. So now you're got all these conflicting feelings about Rachel, and Lorelai and the path not chosen."  
  
Luke looked at Colleen and said, "Yeah, that's pretty much my life in a nutshell." He paused a second then asked, "So are you some kind of counselor, or therapist, or something?"  
  
Colleen shook her head and replied, "Oprah."  
  
"But then I looked at her and realized that she was reaching for the wrong bag." Luke explained. "So I yelled, 'Rachel no!'" Luke paused to take a drink from his beer then continued, "But my timing couldn't have been worse, because the bag was halfway off the shelf, and of course when I yelled, Rachel turned to look at me. And of course as soon as she took her eyes off the bag, it begins to tip and half the bag dumps out all over her covering every square inch above her waist in flower."  
  
"Oh, my God," Colleen said, from other side of the booth. "And all these years I said that that girl couldn't get any whiter."  
  
"So, what did you do?" Regina asked, from the bench next to Luke.  
  
"Well, at first I just stood there in shock, just looking at her," Luke answered. "But when she opened her eyes and I could see these dark spots in the middle of her totally white face, I lost it."  
  
"You didn't…" asked Colleen while she grinned at Luke.  
  
Luke shook his head and said, "Honestly, I tried not to laugh, but I just couldn't stop."  
  
"That is so cruel, Luke," Colleen admonished.  
  
"What? So, you're telling me that you could have stood there and not laughed?" Luke asked.  
  
"Oh, no," Colleen replied, "I would have been on the floor, busting a gut."  
  
"So, what did Rachel do when you laughed at her?" Regina asked.  
  
"She was furious," Luke said. "And the madder she got, the harder it made me laugh, which of course only made her that much madder."  
  
"Well, duh."  
  
"So, Rachel starts walking towards me, pointing her finger at me and saying, things like 'enjoy it while I can' and reminding me about paybacks. And of course it only makes me laugh harder."  
  
Luke paused for another drink from his beer and then continued, "So, she starts to get close and I start to back away, but I still can't stop laughing. And I'm not looking where I'm going and I trip over a box, falling flat on my butt."  
  
"Then the next thing I know, Rachel is stranding over me with a half full can of chocolate syrup, which she proceeds to dump over me."  
  
Luke paused as he remembered Rachel slipping in some syrup and falling on top of him, which led to some serious kissing, that eventually led to hot, sweet, sticky sex on the store room floor. God, he missed her.  
  
Luke was shocked from his memories when Regina asked, "What happened next?"  
  
"What?" Luke asked. He hoped the darkness of the bar hid his reddening face as he answered, "Oh, ah… Nothing, we just cleaned up the storeroom."  
  
"Like hell you did," Colleen challenged. "I can tell by the look on your face you two did it right there on the storeroom floor, didn't you?"  
  
Instead of answering or looking either woman in the eye he looked at his beer bottle.  
  
"Oh, my," Colleen said. "I think we have embarrassed him. I'm sorry, Luke."  
  
"That's all right," He answered.  
  
"I think it's thweet," Regina said, as she clutched Luke's arm and leaned her head against the shoulder, her words slightly slurred.  
  
"Can I get you guys another round?" The trio looked up to see the waitress standing there.  
  
"Yessss," replied Regina.  
  
Colleen looked at her watch and said, "I don't think that's such a good idea. I have an 8am flight in the morning. Just bring us the check, please."  
  
"Sure, be right back."  
  
"I'm not ready to go," Regina pouted.  
  
"Sorry," Colleen apologized.  
  
"I tell you what," Regina said reaching for her purse. She opened the purse and pulled out her car keys, handing them to Colleen. "You take my car, and I'll pick it up at your parents tomorrow. I'll take a cab home."  
  
Colleen looked doubtful and looked at Luke, unsure what to do.  
  
"Pleassse," Regina begged. She laid her head back on Luke's arm and said, "I haven't seen Luke in years. I just want to spend some more time with him."  
  
When Colleen looked back at Luke for an answer, Regina looked at Luke and said, "Please, Luke, just one more drink, I promise?"  
  
Luke wanted to say no, but he looked into that face that looked so much like Rachel's, he paused. After a moment, he said, "Okay, one more drink." 


	22. Luke, Beware the Dark Side

Chapter 22: Luke, Beware the Dark Side  
  
After Colleen had left and the waitress delivered another round of drinks, Luke noticed that Regina had moved closer to him. He tried not to appear too obvious as he shifted further away. Luke took a drink from his beer and then said, "Colleen was really nice. I can see why she and Rachel stayed friends."  
  
"Yeah, they were friends since they were like, nine," Regina said as she moved a little closer to Luke.  
  
Starting to feel very uncomfortable, Luke again moved away. "That's nice," Luke said. "I don't have anyone who I stayed friends with that long."   
  
Regina moved right next to Luke, their hips touching. She put her hand on his forearm and rested her head on his arm and said, "You have me, thilly."   
  
Luke tried to move further away again, but found himself against the wall, Luke began to worry if this latest round might have been a bad idea. Trying to stay calm, Luke said, "Well, no offence, I haven't really known you that long. I mean I like you and everything, but I don't really know you."  
  
Regina rubbed her hand along Luke's arm and said, "I like you too, Luke.  
  
Not liking the direction the conversation was going, Luke said, "What I meant is that you are nice, and I think, given time, we might be friends."  
  
Regina lifted her head from his shoulder, smiled and said, "I think you're nice, too." She rested her chin on his arm, staring directly into his eyes and continued, "Very nicth."  
  
Luke stared back into her eyes for a long moment, neither one speaking. He didn't resist when Regina moved so she could put her arm around him, placing her hand on the back of his head. She played with the short hairs at the back of his head, sending a chill down his spine. Luke couldn't help thinking that Rachel had always been the master of the subtle touches.  
  
They sat there staring, intensely at each other. Luke's eyes wondered over the landscape of Rachel's face. He admired the curve of her chin and the slope of her cheek. He watched as her tongue caressed her luscious red lips, leaving a glistening sheen, just begging to be kissed.  
  
Luke resisted when he felt Rachel use the hand behind his head to pull his face closer to hers, but he looked at her lips and ached to kiss Rachel again. Slowly, he allowed her to pull his head closer. His eyes shifted to Rachel's eyes, but they were wrong. They weren't Rachel's eyes. God, they were Regina's.  
  
Oh, God, Luke thought as he tried to pull back. He reached up, pulled Regina's hand off of his head, and said, "Regina, I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I won't do this. Jesus, I'm getting married in June."  
  
"Luke," Regina begged, a tear forming in her eye. "I need you. I love you."  
  
"You can't love me," Luke answered, trying to push himself into the wall. "You don't even know me."  
  
"I've loved you from the firtht time I thaw you Luke," Regina explained. "When I would visit Rachel, you were always nice to me and I could tell you felt the thame way about me."  
  
"Of course I was nice to you. You were Rachel's kid sister there to visit your sister."  
  
"No, you're lying," Regina demanded. "You loved me then and you love me now… I can see it in your eyes."   
  
Regina threw herself at Luke, mashing him into the wall. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and pulled his lips to hers. Her actions shocked Luke for a half a beat, before his arms began to flail in an attempt to grab her arms. After a couple of seconds, he got a grip on her arms and unwrapped her arms from around his neck, and pulled her away.   
  
"Regina, stop this," Luke said, trying to keep his voice under control. "You've had too much to drink and you're very confused. I don't love you. I've told you that I'm getting married to another woman in June."  
  
Regina stared at him, blinking back tears. After a moment, she said, "She can't love you as much as I do."  
  
"Regina, I love Lorelai and she loves me," Luke explained. "And I won't do anything to jeopardize that. Do you understand that? I love Lorelai so much that I can't imagine myself being with anyone else. I'm sorry."  
  
Luke's words had a sobering effect on Regina. Shock and realization flashed across her face. "Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry, I don't know what I've been thinking. I don't know what's wrong with me." Regina threw herself on Luke and quietly sobbed.  
  
Luke wrapped his arms around her and started to speak, "I think I'm beginning to understand. I don't think I did till just now, because I've been going through it also, just differently."  
  
"Rachel died," Luke started, "and we both loved her very much, and were blinded by grief and confusion. In these circumstances, people react differently. You were trying to hold onto your sister, by latching onto something she loved. While I tried to push away the woman I loved. Lorelai saw what was happening, and she tried to explain it, but I didn't get it. Well, I do now. Does this make any sense to you?"  
  
When Luke didn't receive an answer, he looked down at the girl slumped against him and said, "Regina?" When she didn't respond, he looked closer saw that she was fast asleep. Great, she's passed out, Luke thought to himself. What the hell am I going to do now? 


	23. Wake Up Calls

Chapter 23: Wake Up Calls  
  
Lorelai listened to the recording by the annoying lady asking her to leave a message. Frustrated, she hit the end button on her cell phone, without leaving a message. She glanced at the clock on the wall of the kitchen and noted that it was five minutes before seven a.m.  
  
Lorelai smiled as she thought about how rare it was for her to be up before seven on a Sunday morning. It almost never happened, but this morning she hadn't been able to sleep, wanting to share her exciting news with Luke, but for some reason, his cell phone wasn't answering.  
  
Lorelai stood up and walked to the coffee maker, where she refilled her cup. She stood while she inhaled the aroma of the coffee. She turned and leaned against the counter, resting a hand on her stomach. She smiled as she thought about the life growing inside her. The thought made her so happy, that she was desperate to share it with her guy. She was having Luke's baby! God, she couldn't be happier.  
  
She pushed herself away from the counter and quickly resumed her seat at the table. She picked up the cell and began to dial Luke's cell, when the door to Rory's room opened, and her daughter walked out. Lorelai canceled the call and said, "Morning, sweetie."  
  
Rory mumbled something that may or may not have been morning. She walked to the coffee pot and grabbed the cup Lorelai had set out for her and filled it from the pot. After the cup was filled, she held it to her nose and said, "Mmmm, coffee."  
  
Rory moved to the table and took the seat across from Lorelai, and asked, "What'cha doing?"  
  
"Rewriting 'War and Peace'," Lorelai responded. "That Tolstoy guy left out a bunch of parts."  
  
Rory looked doubtfully at her mother and asked, "On your cell phone?"  
  
"Hey," Lorelai responded. "This may look like just a cell phone, but in actuality, it is a personal thought recorder. I just think my thoughts and it records them."  
  
"I don't think Nokia makes anything like that," Rory declared.  
  
"Well, they will because I'm inventing one tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow?" Rory questioned.  
  
"Yeah, tomorrow," Lorelai answered. "Right after running in the marathon and just before I film my new music video."  
  
"Well, good luck with that."  
  
Rory sipped her coffee, and then asked, "So, still no luck getting a hold of Luke?"  
  
Lorelai looked at the phone in her hand and said, "No. I've tried four times this morning, and twice last night. Either his phone is off or he is out of the service area, because when I call, I go right to Bertha."  
  
"Bertha?"  
  
"Yeah, the lady who does the, leave a voice mail recording," Lorelai replied. "I'm calling her Bertha."  
  
"Naturally."  
  
"Why would Luke turn off his phone?" Lorelai wondered. "Do you think he's mad at me? Or what if he's met someone?" Lorelai began to look panicked, as she grabbed Rory's arm and said, "Oh, God. He's met someone and he's left me because I'm all pregnant and fat and disgusting."  
  
"Mom, don't be silly," Rory said. "One, Luke doesn't even know you're pregnant and two, you've been pregnant for all of ten minutes, there's no way you're fat."  
  
"Oh, yeah. That's right," Lorelai answered.  
  
"Besides, Luke probably just turned off his phone for the funeral or something, and just forgot to turn it back on."  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right," Lorelai pouted.  
  
"Here," Rory said, holding out her hand for the phone.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Rory curled her fingers in a come here motion. Lorelai sighed and handed over the phone. Smiling Rory turned on the phone, pressed some numbers, and held it to her ear. After a moment she said, "Hello, Information? I need a number in Dayton, Ohio."  
  
Lorelai nodded at Rory and said, "I knew that you would get smart going to that fancy college."   
  
"Yes, could you connect me with Mr. Luke Danes' room?" Lorelai asked. "Thank you."   
  
After the fourth ring, Lorelai heard someone pick up the phone. She heard no response for a long second. Finally she said, "Hello? Hello?"  
  
"Wwwwhattt?" She heard a very groggy, tired, female voice answer.  
  
Lorelai was caught off guard for a second, but she recovered and said, "Excuse me, they gave me the wrong room. I'm sorry to wake you." Then, she disconnected the call.  
  
She hit redial on the phone, and a moment later, the desk at the hotel had transferred to Luke's room. Or at least they said it was Luke's room, but that was disproven when Lorelai heard the same female voice ask, "Wwwho is it?"  
  
"I am so sorry," Lorelai apologized, "They keep giving me the wrong room."  
  
Once again Lorelai hung up and redialed the hotel in Dayton. When someone answered, she said," Yeah, I'm trying to get in touch with Luke Danes who's staying at your hotel. Now I've called twice in the last five minutes and someone there keeps connecting me with the wrong room and I keep waking up this lady who is trying to sleep."  
  
"I'm sorry, ma'am," the clerk apologized. "That was me who you talked to, I'm sorry for the mistake. Give me a sec and I'll get that room for you."  
  
Lorelai could hear the clicking of computer keys as she waited. After a moment, the girl came back on and said, "Ma'am. The room that I connected you to is what I have listed in the computer for Mr. Danes. Can you give me a second?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Thanks. I'll be right back."  
  
While Lorelai waited on hold, she had a sinking sensation in her stomach. After a moment, the clerk came back on and said, "Ma'am, I just spoke with my manager, and he confirmed that I transferred you to the proper room we have listed for Mr. Danes. If you would like to wait, we can send someone to his room."  
  
Fear started to grip Lorelai, as she said, "No, no. C-could you just connect me to his room again?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Hold on a second."  
  
Lorelai listened as her call was again transferred. After the second ring she heard the same woman's voice mumble, "Helllloooo?"  
  
"C-c-could I please speak to Luke Danes?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Who?" came the scratchy reply.  
  
"Luke, Luke Danes."  
  
The voice was quiet for a moment, then Lorelai heard, "Oh yeah. Okay. Just a sec."   
  
Oh my, God, Lorelai thought. This can't be happening. There must be some kind of mistake. Luke would never do something like this. Oh my, God.  
  
Something must have been evident on Lorelai's face because Rory asked, "Mom, what's the matter?"  
  
Lorelai couldn't answer, she could only sit there praying that that her fears weren't confirmed, but a moment later, they were when she heard Luke's voice say, "Hello?"  
  
The bottom was falling out of Lorelai's world, shock preventing her from replying. When she didn't say anything, Luke repeated, "Hello?"  
  
Finally, Lorelai managed to squeak out, "Lu-Luke?"  
  
"Lorelai?"  
  
Rage, hurt and betrayal consumed Lorelai and it was all evident in her voice when she said, "Y-You can just go to hell, you son of a BITCH!"   
  
Without waiting for a reply, Lorelai pressed end on the phone ending the conversation. She sat, staring at the phone for a moment.  
  
Rory once again asked, "Mom what's the matter?"  
  
Lorelai shook her head, unable to speak, and blinking back tears. Suddenly she wanted to be away from the phone. She stood and backed away till she encountered the kitchen counter, her hands covering her mouth.  
  
"Mom, please. What's the matter?"  
  
"Lu-Lu-Luke was with some woman."  
  
"Oh, my God, are you sure?"  
  
"I just woke them up."  
  
"Oh, my God."  
  
Lorelai again shook her head, trying to clear it. Suddenly she felt an immense weight on her left hand. She looked down at her hand and saw her engagement ring. The ring seemed to laugh and ridicule her, mocking her for ever thinking that she could have a happy life with someone.  
  
The ring weighted heavier and heavier, and it seemed to burn her skin. She grabbed the ring and pulled it off her finger. Lorelai looked at the ring sitting in her hand, all she could think about was that everything it was suppose to represent was a lie, just one huge goddamned lie.  
  
She sat the ring on the counter, no longer wanting to be touching it or be anywhere near it. She backed away from the counter, but hit the table. She continued to stare at the ring, for a long moment.  
  
"Mom, are you alright?"  
  
Lorelai looked at Rory, unable to answer. She turned back to the ring, then stalked back to the counter and picked it up. She stared at it for a second, and then knew what she had to do. Closing her fist around the ring, she turned and headed out of the kitchen, determination on her face.  
  
"Mom?" Rory asked as she stood to follow. "Mom, what are you doing?"  
  
Lorelai didn't answer. Instead, she stalked out of the kitchen, through the hall and into the bathroom.  
  
Rory followed behind asking, "Mom, what are you going to do?"  
  
Lorelai walked to the toilet and pulled up the lid. She pulled back her arm to throw away the piece of crap she held there.  
  
"Mom, no!" Rory exclaimed wrapping both of her hands around Lorelai's before she could throw the ring. "What are you doing?"  
  
"What the hell does it look like I'm doing?"  
  
"Mom, think," Rory said calmly. "You don't want to do this."  
  
"Oh, I think I do."  
  
"Mom, that's a very pretty and very expensive piece of jewelry. You do not want to flush it down the toilet."  
  
Lorelai looked at Rory for a moment then nodded.  
  
"Okay, good," Rory said, remaining calm. "So, why don't let me hold onto the ring for you."  
  
Lorelai nodded again. Slowly, Rory released her hold on Lorelai's hand. Lorelai opened her hand and held it towards Rory. Rory reached for the ring, but Lorelai closed her hand, jerked it back, and said, "I'm not giving it back."  
  
"No, of course not. We could sell it and take a trip to Hawaii or something. Let's just not do anything rash."  
  
Lorelai nodded and held out her hand. Rory reached out and took the ring.   
  
Both women turned at the sound of the phone ringing in the other room. They looked back at each other, and Lorelai said, "Don't answer it. Just let it ring." 


	24. Home Comings Sure Have Changed Since I W...

Chapter 24: Homecomings Sure Have Changed Since I Was A Kid  
  
When Luke neared home, he wasn't surprised to see Lorelai's SUV gone. Since seven a.m. this morning, he had tried to reach Lorelai at home and on her cell about a hundred times, with no luck. The cell went straight to voice mail and after the first three calls to the home phone, the answering machine didn't even pick up. If only he could talk to Lorelai, so he could explain everything.  
  
Luke parked his truck and got out. He looked inside at his duffle and considered taking it with him inside, but decided against it. He shut the truck door and nervously headed for the house.  
  
As he neared the house, he felt by the look of things that that no one was home, but just to be safe, he thought it wise to knock on the door. He felt strange knocking on his own door and hoped that Babette didn't look out and see him.  
  
After a moment, when no one answered the door, he took out his keys and let himself in. "Hello?" he called as he stuck his head inside. When he got no response, he entered the house.   
  
Sitting on the far side of the foyer, he saw a suitcase, with a folded piece of paper sitting on top. As he neared the suitcase, he could see his name on the paper. He sighed as he picked up the paper and carried it to the kitchen, where he pulled out a chair, and sat down.  
  
With a feeling of foreboding, Luke unfolded the paper. He recognized Lorelai's handwriting as he began to read.  
  
********************************  
  
Dear Luke, aka two-timing cheating guy.  
  
I hate you and I never want to see you again. I am not home now (duh), but I will return later, and I expect you to be gone by then. I have packed some of your things, but I suggest that you check for anything else that might be yours and take it with you, because if I find it after tonight, I'll throw it out.  
  
When you leave, please leave your keys on the kitchen table and lock the door behind you.  
  
Do not try and see me. Do not call me, at home, work, my cell, or anywhere else. Just to be clear, do not try and call me ever, ever, ever. Don't even think about me, or about talking to me. Doing so risks injury to the "boys". I think you know me well enough that I do not make idle threats.  
  
Love, (NOT) Lorelai, aka glad-to-be-your-ex.  
  
P.S. Have a nice day, you bastard.  
  
P.P.S By the way, incase you haven't figured it out, the wedding is off.  
  
**************************  
  
All day, Luke had feared the worse, and now that his fears were confirmed, he wasn't sure what to do. Obviously, Lorelai was upset. Maybe in a couple of days, she would calm down enough so he could explain. 


	25. Knead For Comfort

Chapter 25: Knead For Comfort  
  
Lorelai sighed and then knocked on Sookie's door. A moment later the door was opened by Jackson. "Hi, Lorelai."  
  
"Hi, Jackson," Lorelai smiled. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"  
  
"No, not at all," Jackson answered, holding the door open. "Come on in."  
  
"Thanks."   
  
"La-lie," Lorelai heard when she entered the living room.  
  
Lorelai looked in the direction of the sound and saw Sookie and Jackson's baby daughter moving towards her at what passed as a run for an 18 month old, with her arms outstretched.   
  
"Bobbie!" Lorelai replied as she knelt on one knee and opened her arms. A second later, Bobbie was in Lorelai's arms. Lorelai spent the next couple of minutes making noises that toddlers find so entertaining.  
  
"I swear that she gets bigger every time I see her," Lorelai said.  
  
"Really? I don't see it," Jackson teased. He took Bobbie from Lorelai and said, "Sookie's in the kitchen."  
  
"Thanks." Lorelai turned and headed for the kitchen. When she entered, she found Sookie in the middle of some huge baking exercise, with her hands kneading a batch of dough and flour in her hair and on one cheek. "Hi, Sookie."  
  
"Hi, sweetie," Sookie replied. "Where have you been? I tried calling your house a couple of hours ago. You know I think your answering machine is broken, because it didn't pick up."  
  
"I just got back from taking Rory back to school."  
  
"That's nice," Sookie replied. "It's a beautiful day for a drive."  
  
"Yeah, it was real nice."  
  
"So," Sookie asked. "What's new with you?"  
  
"Oh, so many things, Sookie," Lorelai sniffed. "So many things."  
  
Sookie noted the expression on Lorelai's face and said, "Uh-oh. This sounds bad."  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
"Okay, I'm almost through with this bread," Sookie said. "There's iced tea in the fridge. Why don't you fix us both a glass and tell me about it?"  
  
Lorelai walked to the cabinet and as she pulled out a pair of glasses and said, "I'm not sure where to start."  
  
As Sookie continued to knead, she said, "Well, I don't think I've talked to you since sometime Thursday, so why don't you start there and take me though the weekend?"  
  
Lorelai took the pitcher of tea out of the refrigerator, as she filled the glasses, she said, "Well, let's see. It all started with Luke going postal on a jar of peanut butter."  
  
"Peanut butter?"  
  
"Then me talking him into going to Ohio for Rachel's funeral so he could deal with her death. And I did such a good job of convincing him he needed to deal with it, he decided that we needed to spend some time apart, so he could get his head straight over this whole Rachel thing."  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
"Then," Lorelai continued, as she returned the pitcher of tea to the refrigerator. "Rory came into town, which was nice, but my mother found out and forced us to come to dinner where she proceeded to chew a chunk out of my ass the size of a Honda, because I let Luke go to Rachel's funeral."  
  
"Ouch," Sookie said, as she put the dough in a pan. "Just like old times."  
  
"Ahh, but I'm not done yet," Lorelai said, sitting at the kitchen table. "On Saturday, Rory goes shopping and guess what she brings home?"  
  
Sookie left the bread to rise, and while she began wiping her hands on a towel, asked, "What?"  
  
"Pregnancy tests."  
  
Sookie sat in the chair across from Lorelai as she said, "Oh my God, is Rory pregnant?"  
  
"Nope, the tests were for me. I'm the one that's pregnant."  
  
"Oh my God. Oh my God," Sookie gushed. "You're pregnant, you're pregnant. This is so great!" When Sookie noticed that Lorelai was not quite as excited as she would have expected, she calmed slightly and said, "Is this great?"  
  
Lorelai sighed, closing her eyes for a second, "It is great. It's really great."  
  
Sookie picked up her tea as she asked, "Okay, it's great, but I'm sensing less that total commitment here."  
  
"Well, at first I was real excited, and I wanted to tell Luke," Lorelai stated. "I kept trying to call him on his cell…"  
  
"Luke has a cell phone? I thought Luke hated cell phones."  
  
"He does," Lorelai responded. "I bought him one last year just so he would have it if ever needed, and since he was going out of town I talked him into taking it. But you're interrupting me."  
  
"Oops, sorry. Go ahead."  
  
"Thank you," Lorelai said with a smile. "So I finally get a hold of him this morning and I catch him with another woman."  
  
Sookie sat blinking at Lorelai for a second, then said, "Okay, you're going to have to repeat that, because I could have sworn I heard you say that you caught Luke sleeping with some other woman."  
  
Lorelai's only answer was an embarrassed nod.  
  
"Luke? Are you sure?"  
  
Lorelai nodded again, as the tears started to run down her cheeks.  
  
Sookie shook her head, as if to clear it then said, "Alright, this is not making sense here. Start at the beginning and don't leave out any details." 


	26. Let's play Telephone

Chapter 26: Let's Play Telephone  
  
Early Tuesday evening, Lorelai sat at her kitchen table, sipping a glass of wine and watching Sookie prepare dinner. She sat her glass on the table and asked, "Can I do anything to help with dinner, Sookie?"  
  
Sookie looked at Lorelai and laughed, "You're kidding, right? I love ya sweetie, but you do not belong anywhere near food preparation."  
  
"Yeah, you're right," Lorelai admitted. She took another drink of wine and asked, "So, tell me how many versions have you heard?"  
  
Sookie tasted something from a pan then asked, "Heard about what?"  
  
"You know, about me and Luke? What are the people around town saying?"  
  
Sookie waved off the question saying, "No one is talking about you and Luke."  
  
Lorelai chortled then said, "Sookie, I have lived in this town for twenty years and I know that there is no way that no one is not talking about a juicy piece of gossip like this."  
  
Sookie looked guilty as she responded, "I didn't think you'd want to hear about it."  
  
"Come on, Sookie," Lorelai replied. "What's the fun of being the subject of town gossip, if you can't hear all ways that people got the story screwed up?"  
  
"Well, if you're sure," Sookie answered. She opened the oven door to check inside. She closed the door then made a slight adjustment to the temperature, then moved towards the table while wiping her hands on her apron. After she sat down, she said, "Let's see, someone told me that you caught Luke sleeping with an old girlfriend."  
  
"Hm, that's almost the truth. Come on, Sookie, you can do better than that."  
  
"Well, Jackson said that Andrew told him that Luke wanted the two of you to sleep with one of his old girlfriends."  
  
"Hm, that's kinda interesting."  
  
"But," Sookie continued, "Andrew told me that that Luke wanted you to sleep with his old girlfriend, while he watched."  
  
"Kinky, but creepy."  
  
"Then there was the waitress at Al's Pancake World that said you wanted to watch Luke with his old girlfriend," Sookie said.  
  
"Alright," Lorelai started, "don't these people realize that we're talking about a dead girl?"  
  
Sookie looked apologetic as she said, "Well, I did hear that reference once."  
  
"Oh, my, God. Some people are just sick." Lorelai put a hand to her stomach and said, "That's just makes me sick to my stomach."  
  
"Anyway, that pretty much covers what I have heard," Sookie concluded.  
  
"Well," Lorelai replied, "Not any kind of record, but respectable."  
  
Sookie stood and walked to the refrigerator as she asked, "You want more wine?"  
  
Lorelai looked at her glass then answered, "Naaa, I better not."  
  
"Right," Sookie answered as she filled her glass, "on account of the baby. Speaking of the baby, have you made an appointment with the doctor yet?"  
  
"Yeah, I see her on Monday."  
  
Once Sookie had resumed her seat, she asked, "So, have you talked to Luke?"  
  
"No. I just can't stand the thought of talking to him right now," Lorelai answered.  
  
"So, I guess he doesn't know about the baby?"  
  
Lorelai looked at her friend with a scared look as she answered, "No. Only you, Rory and I know, and you have to promise to keep it that way. At least for now. Please."  
  
"Sure, sweetie," Sookie assured. "But unless you are planning on leaving town, he's bound to find out eventually."  
  
"I know, but not yet, okay?"  
  
"Sure, whatever you say."  
  
"Has he tried to contact you?" Sookie asked.  
  
"Not since Sunday," Lorelai said with a shake of her head. "He tried to call a bunch of times that morning, but I wouldn't answer. Then he left a note when he was here that afternoon, but I tore it up without reading it."  
  
"Was that it?"  
  
"No, he showed up at work on Monday morning, but I wouldn't talk to him. I couldn't bear to look at him, so I made Michel tell him to leave, or I'd call the police."  
  
"So, are you ever gonna talk to him?" Sookie asked.  
  
"I don't know," Lorelai replied. "Maybe, eventually."  
  
"But you're happy about the baby, right?" Sookie asked.  
  
"What?" Lorelai asked. "Yes, of course I am."  
  
Sookie silently stared at Lorelai. After meeting her gaze for a moment, Lorelai turned away, her gaze away and said, "I want to be, but I'm scared. I…"  
  
When Lorelai didn't continue, Sookie put a hand on her arm and asked, "You what, sweetie?"  
  
Lorelai sighed and said, "I'm really not sure if I want to raise another kid all by myself."  
  
"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure you'll do fine." Sookie said. "I mean, you did great with Rory and you have so much more now than when you had her. You have this house, a great job and lots of friends. You know I'll do what ever I can to help."  
  
Lorelai smiled at her friend and said, "I know that, Sookie. Thanks." Lorelai played with her empty wine glass for a moment then asked, "But what if Rory was a fluke? What if I really screw up this time?"  
  
Sookie patted Lorelai's hand and said, "You'll do fine. I promise."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Sookie took another sip from her glass then asked, "So, does this mean that you don't think that you and Luke can patch things up?"  
  
"I don't know," Lorelai sighed. "I mean I'd like to but the thought of what he did hurts so much. I just never thought Luke could hurt me like that."  
  
"Well, one way or the other, you'll have to talk to him eventually."  
  
"I know," Lorelai admitted. "But, not yet."  
  
"What about your parents?" Sookie asked.   
  
Lorelai shrank down in her chair and then said, "Oh, I can't even think about that now. I just can't handle my mother now."  
  
Sookie started to reply but was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. They exchanged glances, and then looked at the phone. At the second ring, Lorelai asked, "Could you get it? It might be Rory, but it could be…."  
  
"Sure," Sookie answered as she stood up. She picked up the phone and said, "Gilmore residence."  
  
Sookie listened, then paled slightly as she responded, "Oh, hi, Luke. Yeah, it's Sookie."  
  
As Sookie listened, she silently asked Lorelai if she wanted to talk to Luke. Lorelai responded with an emphatic shake of her head. Sookie shrugged then said into the phone, "No, Lorelai can't come to the phone right now, she's… She's in the bathroom."  
  
Sookie paused then looked embarrassed as she replied, "No, she's not really in the bathroom, she just can't talk to you right now. Maybe later."  
  
Sookie listened then said, "No I'm not sure when, just later, maybe in a couple of days." Sookie nodded then said, "Alright, I will. Bye, Luke." Sookie hung up the phone, and then returned to her seat.   
  
Looking grateful, Lorelai said, "Thanks, Sookie."  
  
Sookie nodded and said, "He said to tell you he loves you, and he wants to talk.  
  
"I know," Lorelai nodded. "I will. I just need more time."  
  
Both women jumped when the timer on the oven chose that moment to go off. 


	27. Guess Who I Ran Into?

Chapter 27: Guess Who I Ran Into?  
  
It was Friday afternoon and Luke was depressed. The afternoon at the diner was slow so he found himself absentmindedly cleaning the same spot on the counter for the last ten minutes. Frustrated, he tossed the rag under the counter and looked for something else to do.  
  
Unfortunately, the first thing he noticed was he needed to make a fresh batch of coffee. Of course thinking about coffee only made him think about Lorelai. He leaned back against the front counter and thought about Lorelai. About her smile when she was happy, and the way that the sun on a bright day would really bring out hints of red in her hair.   
  
He loved the way her nose crinkled when she was happy. He missed her laughter and her screwy trains of thought that no one else could possibly come up with, but in her own unique way made perfect sense. He longed to hear her latest name for some whatsit that no one else would give a second thought to, but she felt obliged to name.  
  
He yearned to see the look on her face when she talked about something she was passionate about, like work or Rory. Especially Rory. The way she lit up whenever her daughter was mentioned was a thing to behold. It was like there was a thousand-watt bulb behind each eye when ever Rory's name came up. He also missed the sadness she displayed when ever Rory left again. Not because it made her sad, he hated that, but because it was another fascinating aspect that made up the wonder that was Lorelai Gilmore. God, how he loved her.   
  
He missed her so much; it left a hole in his soul. He had thought that loving her from afar was hard because of the empty feeling it left. However, having now experienced her love firsthand, then having it suddenly taken away was a hundred times worse. It was like an essential part of himself had been stripped from him and it was the best part.   
  
He was desperate to see her, but she continued to refuse. He wanted to think that she had to give in eventually, but Lorelai's reputation for being stubborn was well deserved.  
  
He closed his eyes as he thought about the events that had brought them here. It was no one's fault, just people being people. Then introduce grief, kindness, compassion, a generous amount of alcohol and a little bad judgment into the mix and it had become a recipe for disaster.  
  
At least one thing had come out of the whole experience and that was clarity. He had been confused by his feelings after learning of Rachel's death. A perplexing jumble of grief, residual affection, obligation, and guilt that sent him headlong into confusion. But the prospect of losing Lorelai forced everything into perspective. Lorelai had always been the one he wanted to be with. Rachel had even seen that so many years ago. He would have never admitted that he believed in a soul mate, but now that he was faced with a hole in his, he was forced to admit that they existed at least to himself, and his was Lorelai.  
  
He was desperate to get her back, but he couldn't get her to see him, never mind listen to his explanation.  
  
Trying to shake off the depression, Luke started a new pot of coffee. After the coffee was brewing, Luke walked to the window to look out onto the sunny May afternoon. He glanced in the direction of Doose's Market just in time to see Lorelai duck into the store.  
  
Luke's mind went into high gear. It was Friday afternoon, so she was most likely stocking up on junk food for the weekend. That meant that he had somewhere between five and ten minutes before she came out of the store.  
  
He considered for a moment then made up his mind. He yelled back into the kitchen to Caesar, that he was going out on an errand, and then was out the door. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea or what the outcome would but at least he could do something.  
  
Lorelai peered around the corner and looked up the street towards Doose's Market. She ducked back around the corner as she debated with herself if considering Doose's proximity to Luke's if she should risk it.  
  
She leaned back against the wall of the building as she thought about Luke. God, how she missed the cheating, two-timing bastard. She missed the way he frowned at her when she asked for her third cup of coffee. She missed the way he smelt, whether it was just after a shower, or after a day at the diner. Luke and cheeseburgers were her all-time favorite smell.  
  
Most nights she cried herself to sleep at night yearning for the feel of his strong arms around her as they slept. She even missed waking up the sound of his horrible singing coming from the bathroom as he showered in the morning.  
  
But when she thought of the way he had cheated on her, it tied her stomach up in knots. Or maybe that was the chili dog she had had for lunch, causing her such pain.  
  
Lorelai rubbed her stomach as she thought; I need to start eating better for the baby. Oh, God, the baby, what was she going to do? She knew if she told Luke he would go all noble and insist on marrying her. God, it would be like Christopher all over again. Well, she thought, I could always run away and start a new life. I did it before, why not now?  
  
She chuckled silently as she chastised herself, because you're not sixteen, you now have roots and responsibilities. Besides, she thought, I don't run away from unpleasant situations. When she had left home before, that was to change the situation, not to avoid it.  
  
She again looked in the direction of Doose's, as she felt another rumbling in her stomach. She thought for a second then decided, this is stupid, I shouldn't be afraid to go to the store, just because she might run into Luke. Besides, Rory was coming into town and she needed to stock up on supplies for movie night.  
  
She pushed herself off the wall and headed around the corner. As she neared Doose's, she finalized the list of things to get. Another twinge in her stomach caused her to make a note to add something to calm an upset stomach. Just before she entered Doose's, she glanced in the direction of Luke's and decided that she didn't have a problem running into Luke, but there was nothing wrong with walking a little faster to reduce that risk.  
  
Ten minutes later, Lorelai picked up the bags with her purchase from the checkout line. She stopped before walking out the door to glance in the direction of Luke's. Seeing the coast was clear, she opened the door and turned to walk in the other direction.  
  
She walked two steps before she stopped dead in her tracks. Luke was leaning against the wall just past Doose's window. Luke stood up, smiled at her nervously, and said, "Hi, Lorelai."  
  
Lorelai paused for a second, remembering her earlier decision that if she ran into Luke she could talk to him. She now realized that she was wrong. Without saying a word, Lorelai turned and started walking in the opposite direction.  
  
"Lorelai, wait," Luke called after her as he hurried to catch up. Once Luke was abreast of her, he said, "Lorelai, please. Can we just talk?"  
  
She stopped, turned to Luke and said, "I'm not ready to talk, Luke."  
  
"I don't think we should put this off any longer," Luke replied.  
  
"Now or later, I don't see how it will make any difference, Luke."  
  
"Lorelai, just let me explain. Please?"  
  
Lorelai considered for a moment then said, "Alright, I'll give you five minutes." Lorelai pointed a finger at him and said, "But that's only because I don't have any ice cream in these bags." She pointed with her shoulder and said, "Let me put these in my car."  
  
Silently, they walked to Lorelai's car. Once the bags were inside, she crossed her arms and asked, "So, tell me, was it Rhonda?"  
  
"Who?" Luke asked.  
  
"The woman in your room, was it Rachel's sister, Rhonda?"  
  
"Oh," Luke replied, "Rachel's sister's name is Regina, and yes it was."  
  
"Is she pretty?"  
  
"I don't know," Luke shrugged, evasively.  
  
"You don't know if a woman is pretty?" Lorelai scoffed.  
  
"Yeah, I guess she might be pretty."  
  
Lorelai tried a different tact and asked, "Alright, does she look much like Rachel?"  
  
Luke nodded and said, "She looks almost exactly like Rachel. When I first saw her, I thought it was Rachel."  
  
Lorelai nodded and replied, "Then she's beautiful."  
  
"So, what was it, Luke? One last fling with a surrogate Rachel? Or maybe you just wanted to be able to say you bagged sisters?"  
  
"No," Luke denied. "It was nothing like that, you don't understand."  
  
Lorelai felt a slight cramping, but she ignored it and said, "You're right, I don't understand why you would do something like this. Why would you do this to me?"  
  
"Lorelai," Luke pleaded. "I didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"Nothing wrong?" Lorelai asked. "So, since you were out of state, it doesn't count? Or maybe it was because you were mourning that makes it okay? Or since you said that once you got back you wanted to spend some time apart it makes it okay to sleep with another woman, because we were technically not really together?"  
  
"Lorelai, I didn't sleep with anyone."  
  
"Luke, just how big of a fool do you think I am?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"I never said you were a fool," Luke replied.  
  
"Then, why do you expect me to believe you? How can I believe that you didn't sleep with her when I found her asleep in your room, at seven a.m.?" Lorelai asked.   
  
"Lorelai," Luke pleaded. "I did not sleep with her, I swear."  
  
"Then why was your cell phone off?" Lorelai asked. "Was it because you didn't want me interrupting your little tryst?"  
  
"I turned it off before the funeral on Saturday, and forgot to turn it back on," Luke explained. "I'm not used to having one, and I forgot. It had nothing to do with trying to avoid you."  
  
Once again, Lorelai felt her stomach try and tie itself into knots, but she ignored it, saying, "Then, tell me, Luke, if you didn't sleep with her what was she doing asleep in your room?"  
  
"Well, aaa…" Luke stammered. "She was sleeping."  
  
"That's it," Lorelai said as she turned for the car. "I've heard enough."  
  
"No, wait, Lorelai," Luke called as he stopped her with a hand on her arm, "You haven't given me a chance to explain."  
  
Lorelai shook his hand off and said, "Luke, all I've done for the last ten minutes is listen to you explain, and the more you explain, the worse it sounds."  
  
"That is not true!" Luke exclaimed holding a finger in the air. "You have been asking me questions, whose answers to make things sound worse that they were. You have not given me a chance to tell you my side."  
  
Another cramp hit Lorelai, causing her to close her eyes a second and take a deep breath. Sounding like she was calming herself, she let out the breath, and then said," Alright, Luke. Go ahead and explain to me what happened."  
  
Looking slightly relieved, Luke took a deep breath then began to explain, "Well, I think I told you that was going to go to Rachel's mother's house Saturday morning, to ride in the family limo."  
  
Lorelai nodded so he continued, "Well I did, and as soon as I arrived, Regina latched onto me and didn't let go. I didn't know what to do, cause I didn't want to hurt her feelings so I did nothing. So, all day during the services and at the cemetery, she is hanging on me. Then just as we are about to leave the cemetery, Rachel's old college roommate gets there. She's late because of problems with the airlines."  
  
"So we talk for a while, then Regina announces that she and I have plans for dinner and drinks, and invites Colleen to join us," Luke said.  
  
Lorelai gasped and said, "Oh my God, Luke. There were two of them?"  
  
"What? No!" Luke said. "You said you would let me explain, so do you mind?"  
  
Lorelai nodded her head sheepishly and said, "Sorry."  
  
"No problem," said Luke. "So, anyway this was the first I had heard of the idea and I thought it was a bad idea, but I didn't feel I could say no. So the girls come to my hotel and we have dinner in the restaurant, and then go to the bar for some drinks, and to talk about Rachel."  
  
"While we are drinking and talking, Regina is sitting right next to me, in the booth. She keeps moving next to me, but I move away, until I can't go any further because of the wall, and this whole time Regina is getting pretty drunk. I'm worried about what might happen but I feel that as long as Colleen is there nothing can happen."  
  
"Finally," Luke continues, "Colleen announces that it's time to go because she has an early flight, but of course Regina wants to stay. She says it's just for one more drink, and gives her keys to Colleen and says she'll take a cab home. Then, almost as soon Colleen is gone, Regina is all over me trying to kiss me and she's telling me that she's been in love with me from the times she used to visit Rachel, and that she wants to… you know."  
  
Tightly closing her eyes, Lorelai turned away from Luke. They were quiet for a moment, before Lorelai asked, "So, that's when you slept with her?"  
  
"What?" Luke asked. "No." Luke stepped close to Lorelai, putting his hand on her arm. When she turned to him with tears running down her face, he continued, "No, Lorelai. I told her that I didn't love her, that I was in love with you."  
  
Lorelai looked Luke in the eyes and somehow knew he was telling the truth. Trying to blink away the tears, she asked, "You did?"  
  
Luke smiled as he said, "Yes, I did. Then I said that I loved you so much that I didn't want to be with anyone else."  
  
Tears continued to run down Lorelai's cheeks, as she put a hand on Luke's cheek, and said, "Oh, honey. Then, why was she in your room?"  
  
Luke shook his head and said, "Before I even finished my speech, she passed out cold. I couldn't wake her up, and didn't know who I could call. Not being able to think of anything else, I took her to my room and put her in the bed, so she could sleep it off, and I slept on the floor."  
  
Lorelai laughed, and asked, "You slept on the floor?"  
  
"Yes, I did, and my back was screwed up for two days."  
  
"So why didn't you answer the phone when it rang?" Lorelai asked.  
  
Luke shrugged and said, "I was in the shower."  
  
Lorelai wrapped her arms around Luke's neck, pulled him into a hug, and said, "Oh, Luke, I'm sorry."  
  
"No, you just thought what any woman would have thought, if they find some other woman asleep in her boyfriend's bed," Luke said, returning the hug. "I should have never let it happen."  
  
Lorelai pulled back and they exchanged a kiss, and then put their foreheads together.  
  
"So, does this mean that I can come home?" Luke asked.  
  
"Does this mean you want to come home?" Lorelai asked in return.  
  
"I do if you do?" Luke answered.  
  
"I do, too." Lorelai said.  
  
Luke kissed Lorelai, and then said, "Let's go get my stuff."  
  
Lorelai nodded agreement then they clasped hands and started walking towards the dinner. As they walked, Lorelai asked, "While we're there, can I get some coffee? I haven't had a good cup in days."  
  
"Sure," Luke agreed. "I just made a fresh batch."  
  
"Goo…" Lorelai started, but she stopped and put a hand on her stomach when she got another cramp. "Ow," she said.  
  
"Are you alright?" Luke asked.  
  
"Yeah, my lunch is just disagreeing with… OWWW!" Lorelai was hit with a harder cramp, causing her to stop walking.  
  
Looking concerned, Luke asked, "Lorelai, are you okay?"  
  
Lorelai shook her head as she said, "I don't know." Suddenly, Lorelai was hit with a massive spasm causing her to double over, "OWWWWWW!"  
  
"Lorelai, what's the matter?"  
  
Lorelai remained bent over, unable to answer till she was hit with a massive pain in her stomach that felt like she had been kicked. "OOOOOWWWWWW!" Lorelai's legs turned to rubber, and she sank to her knees.  
  
"Lorelai!" Luke called, still holding her hand, and trying to keep the panic out of his voice.  
  
Lorelai released his hand so she could lean forward to rest on her hands and knees, while still holding an arm across her stomach.   
  
Lorelai grunted when her stomach once again tried to turn itself inside out. Luke knelt beside her and said, "Just lay down, honey." He helped her onto her back, and took hold of her hand. He looked around at the crowd beginning to gather and said, "Someone call an ambulance." When no one moved, he shouted, "Will someone call a goddamned ambulance?"  
  
"What's going on here?"  
  
Luke looked up to see Taylor Doose walking out of his store. "I don't know, Taylor," Luke said, "She just collapsed. Could you call an ambulance?"  
  
Taylor pulled a cordless phone from his pocket, and as he began to dial, said, "Right away."  
  
Luke looked down at Lorelai. With his free hand, he brushed away the hair that had fallen across her face, and then said, "The ambulance is on its way."  
  
Lorelai looked at Luke with pain filled eyes and squeaked out, "It hurts."  
  
"I know it does."  
  
Luke released Lorelai's hand long enough to takeoff his flannel shirt, roll it up and put it under Lorelai's head. He sat quietly, holding Lorelai's hand, till she said, "Luke?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I… I love you."  
  
Luke leaned over and kissed her on her forehead, then said, "I love you, too."  
  
Lorelai was gripped by a wave of pain causing her to squeeze Luke's hand painfully. Once the pain had passed, she said," Luke?"  
  
"Yeah, baby?"  
  
"Tell Rory I love her."  
  
Luke looked back at Lorelai, unsure how to respond. After a moment, trying to sound positive, he said, "You can tell her that yourself." As he said that, he couldn't help thinking, Oh God, please don't let her die. Please." 


	28. Waiting Room Bingo

Chapter 28: Waiting Room Bingo  
  
Luke sat in the hospital emergency room waiting area with his head in his hands, trying to stay calm. He glanced at his watch, noting that he had been waiting here thirty minutes, which made it approximately an hour since Lorelai had collapsed.   
  
For the hundredth time, Luke replayed the scene in his head, but just like the preceding 99 replays, it played out the same. Luke stood up from his chair while he contemplated how worthless he had been to Lorelai. This was the woman he loved more that anything in the world, and all he could do was sit there, holding her hand, and try and tell her she would be alright.  
  
Luke began to pace as he thought, God, Lorelai can't die, she just can't. It was tough enough losing Rachel, but if he lost Lorelai, he just might die. Just the thought that she might die was unbearable.  
  
Pacing wasn't helping, so Luke once again tried to sit. He rested his forehead in his palms. That lasted for about two minutes before he sat up, looking around. He was sitting next to a table, covered with magazines. He reached out and randomly grabbed one and began paging through it, without paying a lot of attention what he was looking at. After a minute he realized that he was looking at a golfing magazine, and he couldn't stand golf. Disgusted, he stood up once again. He looked at his watch, and saw that another ten minutes had passed. God, the waiting is killing me.  
  
Mostly because he couldn't think of anything else to do, Luke walked across the hall to the main desk. There was a red-haired woman in her forties, dressed as a nurse sitting at the desk. The woman looked up at Luke and asked in a pleasant voice, "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Can you…" was all Luke managed to say before the phone on the desk next to the nurse began to ring.  
  
The nurse smiled at Luke, held up a finger and said, "Just a second, handsome." The nurse picked up the phone and said, "Culpepper, ER admitting."  
  
Nurse Culpepper listened at the phone for a moment, and then she said, "Hello, Clara." Culpepper listened for a moment then said, "Well I was thinking that we might try that new Thai place on Beaumont."  
  
Luke listened to the conversation on the merits of various places to get dinner from for two minutes before he said, "Excuse me?"  
  
Nurse Culpepper looked up at him and smiled. "I got to go, Clara." She hung up the phone, smiled at Luke and asked, "What can I do for you, handsome?"  
  
"I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Lorelai Gilmore?" Luke asked. "She's been back there almost an hour, and I haven't heard anything."  
  
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I can't tell you anything, you'll have to talk to the doctor," the nurse answered.   
  
"Well, then can you tell me where I can find the doctor?" Luke asked.  
  
"I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for them to come to you."  
  
"But I've been here almost an hour. How long does it take?"  
  
"I'm sorry but I don't know that." Luke started to speak but Nurse Culpepper interrupted, "But if you are real nice, I can see if I can find anyone to speak to you."  
  
Sounding relieved, Luke said, "Could you? That would be great."  
  
"Sure, honey. What was your wife's name again?"  
  
"Gilmore, Lorelai Gilmore. But she's not my wife," Luke replied.  
  
"Not your wife?" Nurse Culpepper asked.  
  
When Luke shook his head, she asked, "Sister?"  
  
"No, she's my fiancée," Luke said.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," the nurse said, "We can only give out information to family."  
  
"Didn't you hear me?" Luke asked, trying to remain calm. "I said she's my fiancée. That means we are getting married."  
  
Nurse Culpepper looked apologetic as she said, "I know, but the state of Connecticut doesn't consider a fiancée to have any legal standing."  
  
"I was good enough to fill out all those admission and insurance forms you needed, but now you can't tell me anything. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." Luke said, leaning forward.  
  
Nurse Culpepper leaned closer to Luke and in a slightly hushed voice said, "I don't disagree with you, handsome, but I don't make up the rules." Luke started to protest, but stopped when the nurse held up a hand, and in a yet softer voice said, "That's why I suggest that if anyone else asks you, you should fib a little and tell them you're her husband."  
  
Luke stared at the nurse while her statement sank in. He calmed, and said, "Oh, okay. I'll do that."  
  
Nurse Culpepper smiled up at him, and in a normal tone asked, "Now who were you asking about, sir?"   
  
"Oh, yeah," Luke replied, "I'm asking about Lorelai Gilmore." Nurse Culpepper looked up at Luke with a question in her eyes. Luke paused a second then said, "Right. She's my wife."  
  
The nurse nodded and said, "If you'll go sit down, I'll see if I can find someone to talk to you."  
  
"Thanks," Luke replied, then returned to the waiting area.  
  
Five minutes later, Luke looked up to see an oriental woman wearing a white lab coat over green scrubs enter the room. But Luke's hopes were dashed when the woman walked to a young couple on the other side of the waiting room. Trying to fight off the disappointment, Luke sighed and leaned forward to rest his head in hands.  
  
After another five minutes, Luke heard someone say, "Mr. Gilmore." He looked up to see Nurse Culpepper standing at the door. After a second, Luke realized that she was talking to him.  
  
He stood and walked to her asking, "Yes?"  
  
"I'm afraid, I don't have any news for you, but if you would like you can go back and see your wife."  
  
Luke's fear of hospitals caused him to pause a second, but he quickly recovered and said, "Yes, please."  
  
The nurse pointed up the corridor and said, "Go through those doors and it's the third room on the left."  
  
"Thanks," Luke answered. He took a deep breath to steel himself, and then walked towards the doors. 


	29. The Gang's All Here

Chapter 29: The Gang's All Here  
  
Ten minutes later, Luke was back in the waiting room, trying to distract himself by watching TV when he heard some call, "Luke."  
  
He looked up to see a worried-looking Emily walking towards him. As she neared, he stood up and said, "Hi, Emily. I take it that Rory got a hold of you."  
  
"Yes, she did," Emily replied.  
  
"I'm sorry. I would have called myself, but I didn't have your number with me, so I asked Rory to call you when I spoke to her," said Luke.  
  
"I understand," Emily replied, curtly. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know," Luke explained, "she said her stomach was bothering her, but thought it was indigestion. Then suddenly she collapsed in pain."  
  
"That's just like her," Emily said, with a shake of her head. "I told her she should see a doctor."  
  
"When was that?" Luke asked.  
  
"Last week, when she and Rory were over for dinner," Emily replied. "She was sick then." Emily looked around and asked, "What do the doctors say?"  
  
Luke shook his head and replied, "So far, nothing to me."  
  
'That is just typical," Emily responded. "Why to these people insist on keeping everyone in the dark?"  
  
"I don't know," Luke answered. "But I did see her a few minutes ago."  
  
"You did?" Emily asked. "How was she?"  
  
Luke shook his head and said, "She was pretty out of it, and still in some pain."  
  
"Oh, dear."  
  
"But I was only there for a couple of minutes, when they came and got her for some kind of tests."  
  
"What were the results of these tests?" Emily asked.  
  
"I haven't heard yet," Luke answered. "I'm not even sure if they are back yet."  
  
"Well, I'm going to find out," Emily said, then turned and headed for the desk.  
  
Luke fell into step with her. As they neared the desk, he could see that nurse Culpepper was still there, but on the phone. The nurse saw them approach, and held up a finger, asking them to wait. Within a few seconds, she completed the conversation, looked up and asked, "Yes, Mr. Gilmore?"  
  
Surprised, Emily looked at Luke and asked, "Mr. Gilmore?"  
  
Slightly embarrassed, Luke said, "I'll explain later." He turned back to the nurse and asked, "Nurse Culpepper, could you tell us if my wife is back from her test yet?"  
  
"Please, call me Beth." The nurse consulted a large grid on the wall with various labels and writing on it that made no sense to Emily or Luke, then said, "I'm afraid she's not back yet."  
  
"When will she be back?" Emily asked.  
  
When the nurse looked at Luke he said, "This is Mrs. Gil… This is Lorelai's mother."  
  
The nurse nodded and said, "I'm afraid that I don't know how long she'll be gone."  
  
"When will we be able to talk to the doctors?" Emily inquired.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't know that either."  
  
"Well, I find that totally unacceptable," Emily declared. "I'll just see if I can find someone who knows what is going on." Emily picked up her purse, turned to Luke and asked, "Are you coming with me, Luke?"  
  
Luke thought a second then said, "Why don't you go ahead, and I'll wait here. That way if they show up here, we have it covered."  
  
"Suit yourself," Emily shrugged, and then she said turned and headed through the doors.  
  
After she was gone, Luke looked Nurse Culpepper, and said, "Sorry about that."  
  
"No problem," the nurse replied. "If you want to go sit back down, I'll try and let you know when they bring her back up, or you could wait in her room."  
  
"Thanks," Luke replied. "I'm expecting some people, so I think I'll wait here."  
  
Luke returned to the waiting room, and was just about to sit down when he heard someone call his name.   
  
He turned and saw Rory heading towards him, with Kyle close behind. Rory hurried up to him and put her arms around him in a quick hug that Luke returned. When Rory pulled back, Luke could see her eyes were red from crying. "How is she doing?" Rory asked.  
  
Luke told Rory what he knew, which he admitted was not much. He concluded with, "She's having some test run now."  
  
While Rory digested what Luke said, Kyle walked up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Luke held out his hand and said, "Hey Kyle."  
  
"Luke," replied the younger man as he took Luke's hand.  
  
Rory looked around then asked, "Is my grandma here?"  
  
"She got here about fifteen minutes ago," Luke answered. "She's off trying to see if she can find out anything."  
  
As they started to take seats, Rory asked, "What about the…" She paused for a second, biting her lip, and then asked, "What have the doctors said?"  
  
Before Luke could reply, they heard someone say, "As usual you can't find a doctor around this place to tell you anything." They looked up to see Emily approaching.  
  
"Grandma," Rory said, as she stood. Rory wrapped her grandmother in a tight hug, burying her face in her shoulder.  
  
"Hello, Rory," the elder Gilmore said, returning the hug.  
  
"I'm scared," Rory said.  
  
Emily rubbed Rory's back and said, "I know. I am, too." Then Emily pulled back, but while still holding Rory at arms length, she smiled and said, "But don't tell your mother I said that. She may think I'm getting soft in my old age."  
  
Rory smiled, while she tried to blink away the tears. As they moved to seats, Rory said, "Grandma, I wanted to apologize for the things I said at dinner last week."  
  
Emily shook her head, patted Rory on the knee, and said, "Rory, that's the furthest thing from my mind right now." Emily turned to Rory's boyfriend and said, "Hello, Kyle."  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Gilmore. Did you find out anything?"  
  
"Only that every year it gets harder to find out anything in this place," Emily replied.  
  
They spent the next few minutes talking, till Luke looked up and saw Nurse Culpepper approaching. When she neared, she said, "Mr. Gilmore?"  
  
Luke started to reply, but when he caught the questioning look from Rory, he said to her, "I'll explain later." He turned back to the nurse and asked, "Yes, Beth?"  
  
"They're bringing your wife back now," the nurse explained. "In a few minutes you can go back to see her, but…" Nurse Culpepper looked around the group then continued, "But we need to limit it to two people at a time."  
  
"Thanks, Beth," Luke said.  
  
The nurse turned to leave, but stopped when Emily asked, "What were the results of the tests?"  
  
The nurse shook her head and said, "No, I'm afraid…"  
  
Emily interrupted her by saying, "Yes, yes. You can't tell us anything. Do they teach you to say that in nursing school?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," the nurse replied. "In the same class where they teach us how to deal with pushy family members." Then she turned and walked away.  
  
With a shocked expression, Emily stared after the woman as she walked away. Everyone else sat silently, unsure how to react. Finally, Emily turned back to the group, shaking her head, but with a slight smile on her face.  
  
They sat quietly for a moment, till Rory cleared her throat and asked, "So who gets to go back?"  
  
They sat exchanging unsure looks. Emily broke the silence saying, "It should be Rory and Luke, I suppose."  
  
"Are you sure, Emily?" Luke asked.  
  
Emily refused to meet Luke's gaze when she replied, "Yes, I'm sure that she'd rather see you than me."  
  
Before Luke could reply, Kyle said, "The nurse is waving to you."  
  
They all looked up and saw Nurse Culpepper standing by the door, waving at them. Anxiously, they all stood, looking between each other, before Emily spoke, "You two go ahead." Then she sat back in her chair.  
  
Luke nodded to Rory who turned to leave. He took one step to follow then stopped. His gaze shifted between the door to where Lorelai lay, and her mother. Desperately he wanted to follow Rory but instead he said some of the hardest words he had ever spoken, "Wait, Rory." When she turned back to him, he said, "Why don't you take your Grandma with you?"  
  
Emily stood, then expectantly said, "Are you sure, Luke?"  
  
"Yeah," Luke nodded. "I saw her earlier, you go ahead."  
  
Emily looked at Luke for a long moment, then stood and said, "Well, if you're sure, Luke?"  
  
"Sure. Go ahead."  
  
Emily only nodded, but the look in her eyes was of extreme gratitude. She joined Rory, then said, "I'll just be a few minutes, then you can go in."  
  
Luke watched them leave the room, then with a heavy sigh sat back in his chair, and returned to contemplations about life, death, and the specter of life without Lorelai. 


	30. Still In the Dark

Chapter 30: Still In The Dark  
  
Twenty minutes later, Emily had returned to the waiting room, allowing Luke a chance to visit Lorelai. Looking only straight ahead, Luke walked quickly to Lorelai's room. He paused outside the room, willing himself to be strong for Lorelai.  
  
When Luke pulled aside the curtains over the entrance to Lorelai's room, he saw Rory sitting next to Lorelai's bed holding her mother's hand in both of her own. Lorelai lay in bed covered by a sheet, apparently asleep.  
  
The noise of his entry caused Rory to turn. When she saw him, she smiled sadly, and softly said, "Hi."  
  
"Hi," Luke replied, as he walked to the side of the bed opposite of Rory. "How is she?"  
  
Rory shrugged and said, "She's mostly sleeping, and I think she's in some pain." As if to emphasize Rory's statement, Lorelai let out a soft groan, and shifted slightly, but her eyes remained closed. Rory looked at Luke, biting her lip.  
  
Luke glanced around the room and spotted a stool in one corner. He crossed to the stool and wheeled it next to the bed. He bent over and placed a gentle kiss on Lorelai's forehead, and then he sat down on the stool and took Lorelai's free hand in his.  
  
They sat there quietly for a time watching Lorelai who would occasionally moan softly. After a while, Rory looked at Luke, and asked "Luke…?"  
  
Luke looked at Rory, the rest of her question obvious in her eyes. Trying to sound confident, Luke smiled and replied, "She's going to be fine."  
  
Not entirely convinced, Rory replied, "Luke?"  
  
Luke sighed and admitted, "I don't know."  
  
When his response brought tears to her eyes, Luke added, "But if there's one thing I know, it is that your mother is one of the strongest people I know. Besides, she wouldn't want to miss out on years on annoying everyone in town, would she?"  
  
Rory smiled in response to Luke's comments.  
  
"You guys know I can hear you, don't you?" Lorelai surprised them when she softly spoke.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mom," Rory said, stroking her mom's hair. "Did we wake you?"  
  
Lorelai smiled weakly and said, "That's okay, sweetie." She turned to Luke and with a slight squeeze of his hand that was holding hers, said, "Hey, there."  
  
"Hey, yourself," Luke replied. "Are you feeling any better?"  
  
"Maybe a little," Lorelai shrugged.  
  
"So have the doctors told you anything?" Luke asked.  
  
"Yeah," Lorelai answered. "They said it's your fault because I haven't had any of your coffee all week."  
  
Luke rolled his eyes, looked at Rory and said, "See, she's already back to her annoying ways. She's going to be fine."  
  
They all chuckled, till Lorelai winched in pain, reaching for her stomach.  
  
"Are you alright?" Luke asked, slightly panicked. "Do you need me to get the doctor?"  
  
As the pain subsided, Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, just don't make me laugh."  
  
They sat quietly holding hands for a while. Lorelai nearly drifted back to sleep, but suddenly jerked as the pain once again gripped her. After the pain passed, Lorelai tried to distract them by asking, "So, how was school today, Rory?"  
  
They spoke of little things for a few minutes, till Lorelai looked at Rory and asked, "Rory, sweetie. Could you give me and Luke some time alone, please?"  
  
"Is this about…?" Rory let the question hang, as she stood up.  
  
Lorelai replied with a nod.  
  
"Sure," Rory leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek, then said, "I'll be outside."  
  
After Rory left the room, Lorelai looked at Luke, and said, "We need to talk."  
  
Luke swallowed hard, and then asked, "About what?"  
  
"About…" Lorelai's reply was cut short when a woman of about thirty pulled open the curtain covering the entrance to her room.   
  
The woman was wore green hospital scrubs, with a long white coat over them. She had a stethoscope in the lab coat pocket, a clipboard in one hand, and a pleasant smile. She pulled the curtain closed behind her and said, "Hi, Lorelai."  
  
"Hi, doctor," Lorelai replied. She turned to Luke and said, "Luke, this is Doctor… I'm sorry, Doctor, I forgot your name."  
  
Still smiling, the doctor said, "That's alright. It's Lassater. Is that your daughter I saw in the hallway?"  
  
"Yeah, that's Rory."  
  
"She's lovely."  
  
"Thanks. She's finishing up her second year at Yale," Lorelai offered.  
  
"That's nice, you must be proud?"  
  
"We are," Lorelai answered. "Doctor, this is Luke Danes, my fiancée."  
  
"Ah, nice to meet you Mr. Danes," the doctor said, holding out her hand.  
  
"You can call me Luke," he replied, taking the hand.  
  
Luke watched as the doctor looked back to Lorelai with an expression he couldn't read. He glanced at Lorelai, and thought he detected a slight nod, followed by a slight shake of Lorelai's head, as if in answer to an unspoken question.  
  
Before Luke could ask anything, Dr. Lassater said, "Mr. Danes, would you mind waiting in the waiting room? I need to examine Lorelai again."  
  
"Could you at least tell us what's going on?" Luke asked.  
  
The doctor smiled, and said, "As soon as I finish I'll be out to talk to you." Luke started to protest, but the doctor cut him off, "I promise as soon as I finish here."  
  
"It's alright, Luke," Lorelai said.  
  
Luke nodded, as he leaned down and kissed Lorelai on the forehead. He stood up and said, "I'll be outside."  
  
"Thanks," replied the doctor. "I'll see you in a few minutes."  
  
Once again banished from the room, Luke collected Rory and headed back to the waiting room, still with no idea what was happening.  
  
  
  
"There's the doctor," Luke said, twenty minutes later, when he saw Dr. Lassater enter the waiting room, and walked towards them.  
  
"It's about time," Emily said, as they all stood up.  
  
The doctor walked up them, smiled and said, "Sorry, that took a little longer that I thought."  
  
"Is everything alright?" Emily asked, curtly.  
  
Dr. Lassater looked at Emily, slightly taken aback by her forcefulness. The doctor pointed towards the hallway, and said, "Let's find someplace a little more private, shall we?"  
  
The doctor turned and headed from the waiting room and into the hallway. Luke, Emily, Rory, and Kyle collected their things and quickly followed. Once she reached the hall the doctor turned right. She walked a short distance up the hallway to a door marked Physician Consultation. She opened the door then walked into the room turning on the light, and holding the door for the others to follow.  
  
The room resembled a small conference room, with a small table in the middle, with chairs surrounding the table, and against the walls. As they entered the room, the doctor said, "Just have a seat."  
  
Once they were all seated, the doctor said, "I'm Dr. Lassater, the Resident on call for OB-G…"  
  
"I'm really not interested in your resume right now," Emily interrupted. "Can you tell me what's the matter with Lorelai? Is she going to be alright?"  
  
"And you would be?" asked the doctor.  
  
"I'm sorry, Doctor," Luke said, "This is Emily Gilmore, Lorelai's mother."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Gilmore," The doctor replied. "Now Lorelai has experienced acute…"  
  
"Please save us your medical mumbo jumbo," Emily declared, with a very frustrated edge in her voice, "and tell us if Lorelai is going to be alright."  
  
The doctor paused at Emily's outburst. They all sat there on the edge of their seats, waiting for her response. After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor leaned back in her chair and said, "Lorelai's going to be fine."  
  
A nearly visible wave of relief swept over the room. Rory turned to Kyle and hugged him tightly. Luke exhaled loudly while leaning back in his chair, and closing his eyes, while Emily released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, relief visible on her face.  
  
For a moment, they sat quietly, Luke speaking first, "When will she be able to go home?"  
  
"We'd like to keep her overnight for observation, but barring any unforeseen complications, she should be able to go home tomorrow."  
  
"So, will there be any long term problems?" Emily asked.  
  
"No, she should be fine in a few days," the doctor answered.  
  
"Can we see her?" Rory asked.  
  
"I just gave her a sedative, and she'll probably sleep for the next twelve hours," the doctor replied.  
  
Emily turned to Rory and said, "I better call your grandfather and give him an update."  
  
"Before you go, there's one more thing I need to tell you," Doctor Lassater said, stopping Emily as she started to rise from her chair.  
  
"What is it?" Emily asked. "I thought that you said Lorelai is going to be fine?"  
  
"I did," nodded the doctor, "and Lorelai will be fine, but I'm afraid she lost the baby."  
  
Sinking back into her seat, Emily asked, "Baby, what baby?"  
  
"What do you mean, baby?" Luke asked.  
  
"Lorelai was approximately four weeks pregnant," the doctor replied.  
  
"Did she know she was pregnant?" Emily asked.  
  
"Yes, she did."  
  
"I'm sorry doctor, but there must have been some mistake," Luke started. "Lorelai and I have been together for over two years, and we're due to be married in June. I think she would have told me…"   
  
Luke stopped mid-sentence as he and Emily turned to look at Rory who had been strangely quiet for the last few minutes. Looking uncomfortable under their gaze, Rory smiled weakly and said, "I'm sorry, but we just found out last weekend?"  
  
"Well, why didn't she tell anyone?" Emily asked.  
  
Rory glanced at Emily, then looked at Luke and said, "She was going to tell you last weekend, when she called you in Ohio, but…"  
  
"Oh…"  
  
"Oh?" Emily asked, "Oh, what? What happened in Ohio?"  
  
Not meeting Emily's gaze Luke said, "Nothing."  
  
"Nothing? Don't tell me nothing," Emily said. I want to know what happened."  
  
"It was just a little misunderstanding," Luke explained. "It's all been straightened out."  
  
"If it caused Lorelai to lose her baby, I would hardly call it a little misunderstanding," Emily declared.  
  
Luke paled and looked at the doctor, "Oh, Doctor. Could having been upset have caused her to lose they baby?"  
  
"It's often hard to tell what went wrong in cases like this," the Doctor replied. "Lorelai briefly explained some of the stress she had been under lately, and I consider it highly unlikely that it was a factor. I know it may not be much comfort, but sometimes these things happen. It's nature's way."  
  
They sat, quietly absorbing the doctor's words. After a minute the doctor's pager started to beep. She looked at the pager then began to stand as she said, "If there's nothing else, I'm needed elsewhere. If you want to wait about twenty minutes, Lorelai should have been moved to her room. She'll probably sleep till morning, but you can see her. She's being moved to room 567."  
  
Seeing there were no questions, the doctor said, "I'll check on Lorelai later. Goodnight."  
  
After the doctor left, the four of them sat quietly with their own thoughts. Emily spoke first when she said, "I better see if I can find that phone and call Richard. I suppose I'll see you all in Lorelai's room later?"  
  
No one spoke, but they all nodded in agreement. Emily gathered her things and left the room.  
  
After a moment, Rory looked at Luke and noticed him, refusing to look in her direction. Rory patted Kyle's knee and asked, "Would you be a sweetie and get me a cup of coffee?"  
  
Kyle was confused by Rory's request. She noticed his confusion and pointed at Luke with her eyes. Kyle followed her gaze and nodded his understanding. He stood and said, "I'll just meet you upstairs." Kyle kissed Rory on top of her head and left the room.  
  
Once Kyle had left, Rory stood and walked toward Luke, asking, "Luke, are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Luke replied, without much conviction and still not looking at Rory.  
  
Rory sat in the chair next to Luke rested her head on his shoulder, and took his hand. Together, they sat quietly mourning the loss of what might have been. 


	31. Enlghtment at the End of THe Tunnel

Chapter 31: Enlightenment at the End of the Tunnel  
  
Lorelai had a night of troubling dreams. It was one of those dreams that seemed to repeat itself. She seemed to be searching for Rory. Sometimes she would find Rory, and she would be the college-age Rory, then sometimes it would be a baby Rory. After she would find one, she would continue to search until she would find the other. However as soon as she would find both, one of the Rorys would disappear, forcing her to start the search over again. She found the whole dream very disturbing.  
  
Lorelai felt herself beginning to near wakefulness. She tried to fight it off, but consciousness was determined to assert itself. Without opening her eyes, she reached out her arm to feel for Luke, but before she could reach his side of the bed, her hand encountered something hard preventing access.  
  
Confused, she slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to see that she was not in her bed in her own room. Through half-open eyes, she took in her surroundings and realized that she was lying on her side, in the hospital. That realization triggered her memories of the previous day's events, starting with her encounter with Luke, and ending with a trip to the emergency room, and culminating with the news that she had lost the baby.  
  
She blinked away a tear as she thought about the life that Luke and she had made being taken from them, before they even had the chance to really know it was there. In case she wanted to consider that the events might had been part of a dream, she had the dull ache in her stomach to prove otherwise.  
  
Slowly, she rolled onto her back and gently began to sit up. When she looked down, she was surprised to see the top of a head with brown hair lying on her bed. She smiled as she recognized the head as belonging to Luke.  
  
As she looked at Luke, she thought about how much she loved him. She thought about how much it would break his heart to find out that she had lost their baby. A baby that he never knew existed until it was already gone. She would have done anything to spare him that pain, but knew that it was unavoidable.  
  
Gently, she reached down and ran her fingers through Luke's hair. After a moment, he began to stir. "Ow," Luke said as he began to sit up. He brought his hand up to attempt to relieve the stiffness in his neck.  
  
Gradually, he sat up and looked at Lorelai. His hair was standing up on one side, and the pattern of the hospital blanket was imprinted in the side of his face. To Lorelai, he had never looked better.  
  
"Hey," Lorelai smiled, once Luke's eyes focused on her.  
  
"Hey," he replied, as he tried to rub the stiffness from his neck. "You been up long?"  
  
"No. Just a minute," Lorelai answered. "Have you been here all night?"  
  
"Right after you were admitted, I ran home to get some stuff, but other than that, yeah, I have."  
  
"Thanks,"  
  
"No problem. " Luke answered. "Actually Rory and I flipped a coin to see who would stay last night and who got to go home."  
  
"And I take it you lost?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"No, I won." Luke took Lorelai's hand and asked, "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Uuuuhhhh," Lorelai groaned as she held her free hand to her stomach. "Like the Stars Hallow High marching band used my stomach as a practice field, which means better than yesterday."  
  
"That's good," Luke said. "You know you gave us all quite a scare yesterday?"  
  
"Yeah, me too," she agreed.  
  
They sat silently for a moment, until Lorelai decided not to put off delivering her hard news, and said, "Luke, there's something I need to tell you."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Well, it's one of those good news, bad news things," Lorelai began. "Or more like really good news, really bad news. You see… Last weekend, while you were… away, I found out the good news, but then yesterday there was the bad news, and based on the bad news, there really isn't any good news, but before the bad news, it really was real good news, if you know what I mean? Do you? I mean, do you know what I mean."  
  
Luke nodded and said, "Yeah, I think I do know."  
  
"Of course, you don't know," Lorelai started. "There's no way you could know…? What? You know what I'm talking about? How could you know what I'm talking about, because it barely made sense to me and I know what I'm talking about?"  
  
"You're talking about the baby, right?" Luke asked. When Lorelai replied with a stunned nod, Luke continued, "The doctor told us last night."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Luke hung his head and said, "I just feel so responsible, because of everything I put you through this last week."  
  
"Oh, honey. Don't blame yourself," Lorelai consoled. "The doctor said that that it probably didn't have anything to due with what happened."  
  
Not looking Lorelai in the eye, Luke replied, "I know. She told us that also, but I can't help…"  
  
"Hey," Lorelai interrupted. "I don't think that, and I don't want you thinking like that either. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Luke agreed.  
  
"So, when you say that the Doctor told us, you mean you and Rory, right?"  
  
"No," he answered. "Your mother was here."  
  
"Oh boy, I bet that the staff really enjoyed that," she replied.  
  
"Yeah, she was a big hit," Luke replied. "She said she'd be back this morning."  
  
"Well, there's something to look forward to."  
  
"Lorelai, your mother was just as worried about you as the rest of us."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure she was," Lorelai answered. "It's just that now she'll make the whole thing into my fault, and take it all out on me."  
  
"I'm sure that you're exaggerating," Luke offered.  
  
"No, I'm not," Lorelai replied, with a shake of her head.  
  
"No, you're not," Luke agreed.  
  
Luke took Lorelai's hand in both of his and said, "Look, I just want to say again how sorry I am for everything that has happened over these last couple of weeks. I just got really confused about everything and it took me a while to figure out where my head was, and I'm very, very sorry if you got hurt in the process. That was the last thing I wanted."  
  
Lorelai smiled sweetly, and said, "Thank you."  
  
"So, are we okay?" Luke asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think we're okay," she answered.  
  
"Good," Luke nodded. "Then I can move onto the next order of business." He stood from the chair, and pushed it out of the way.  
  
"What's that?" she asked.  
  
Luke didn't answer, but instead got down on one knee, prompting her to ask, "Luke, what are you doing?"  
  
He held up his hand to silence her, and then took hold of her hand again. Then clearing his throat, he began, "Lorelai Gilmore. I love you. I think I may have loved you from the first moment I met you."  
  
"Luke, are you…?"  
  
Ignoring her question, he pressed on, "And I have it on good authority that you are fond of me. "  
  
"You're not so bad," Lorelai replied, blinking away some tears.  
  
Luke had a slight smirk as he continued, "So, I was thinking that since, I love you, and you... you can stand me, that…" He paused while he reached into the pocket of his shirt. Luke pulled out an engagement ring, and then continued, "Well, I thought you might marry me."  
  
When she saw the ring, Lorelai gasped, "My ring. Where did you get it?"  
  
Luke shrugged and replied, "Rory and I had a long talk last night, and I explained everything to her. She thought that you might want this back, so she told me where to find it."  
  
Lorelai reached out and took the ring from Luke, and then she stared at it as tears ran down her cheeks.  
  
Lorelai quietly stared at the ring. Luke finally broke the silence by saying, "So, what do you say?"  
  
She slid the ring on her finger, held her hand up for Luke to see, and then said, "I think, yes."  
  
Smiling, Luke stood and wrapped his arms around her, in a hug that she eagerly returned. After a moment, she said, "I love you, sweetie."  
  
Luke sniffed then replied, "I love you, too."  
  
Lorelai leaned back from Luke and said, "But, Luke. You already proposed once. We already have the date planned."  
  
"I know," he shrugged. "But with everything that has happened, I wanted to do it again to make sure that you were still willing."  
  
Lorelai smiled as tears of happiness ran down her cheeks. She nodded, pulled Luke back into a hug, and said, "I am, sweetie. I am."  
  
"Jeez, guys. Get a room."  
  
They turned to see Rory standing in the door with two take-out cups of coffee and a white bag in her hands.  
  
"Rory," Lorelai exclaimed, as she threw open her arms.  
  
"Hi, Mom," the younger Gilmore answered, as she walked into the room. She sat the cups and bag on the rolling tray. She stepped up to her mother, hugged her and said, "Hey, you. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Hungry," Lorelai replied. "Please tell me you brought coffee."  
  
"And donuts."  
  
"Oooo, you're the best."  
  
Luke smiled as he watched the Gilmore Girls, fall into their well worn routine. Deciding to give them some privacy, he turned to leave. But before he could make it to the door, he was stopped when Lorelai said, "Hey, where do ya think you're going?"  
  
"I'm sorry," he replied. "This just seemed like a mother-daughter moment, so I thought I'd leave you guys alone."  
  
"Uh-uh," Lorelai answered. "This is a family moment, and that includes you, so get you butt back in here." 


	32. The Loose End That Got Away

Chapter 32: The Loose End That Got Away  
  
Late Saturday morning, Lorelai walked out of the front door, holding two glasses of lemonade. Squinting against the bright June sun, she saw Luke in the final stages of mowing the lawn.  
  
She caught his attention, holding up the glass of refreshment. He waved her off, indicating that he wanted to finish the lawn first. Lorelai nodded and sat on the bench on the porch.  
  
She sat there, drinking her lemonade, watching Luke, and thinking about life. It's been four weeks since she left the hospital. At first, there were some tears and there was some lingering sadness by both of them over the loss of the baby. However, out of pain of the loss, had grown the determination to try again.  
  
Lorelai glanced at her engagement ring, realizing that the wedding was exactly a week away. Despite the summer warmth, she shivered when she thought about how close to not happening it came. For a time she blamed Rachel, but quickly realized that that was totally unfair. The poor girl didn't choose to die when she did, and the complications in Lorelai's and Luke's relationship were caused by no conscious action on Rachel's part. It was just the way life happened sometimes. The trick was recognizing that and dealing with it.  
  
The whole incident with Rachel's sister in Luke's hotel room was slightly different. Again no one was to blame, (well, maybe Regina a little). It was just a case of miscommunication and a very slight case of Lorelai jumping to a conclusion. While every woman she spoke with agreed that they would have made the same conclusion, Lorelai should have realized that Luke wouldn't cheat on her. She had learned a very valuably lesson about jumping to conclusions, and that would never happen again. Really it won't. Don't look so doubtful.  
  
Luke still mourned Rachel, but Lorelai was okay with that now. She has men in her past that she cared for, and would experience grief over, if God forbid something was to happen to them. But Luke figured out that his feelings for Rachel, were in the past, while his feeling for her were in the present, and even more importantly in the future, and those were strong feeling that grew every day.  
  
Lorelai looked up when she heard the front door open, and saw Rory standing there, in a tank top and shorts. Rory smiled at Lorelai, and then she walks over and takes a drink of Lorelai's lemonade.   
  
Rory handed the glass back to Lorelai, then turned to watch Luke for a moment. Lorelai wondered if Rory was thinking of Kyle. They had broken up soon after finales. Rory said it was mutual, because they had just grown apart, but Lorelai suspected something more, and knew she would eventually get it out of Rory.  
  
Rory kissed Lorelai on the cheek, and headed off to hang out with Lane, who was back in town. Lorelai was really amazed about what has happened with the tiny Korean girl, since she graduated from high school. A really fascinating story, but unfortunately it will not be told here.  
  
After Lorelai's stay in the hospital, she noticed a subtle change in her mother. Lorelai suspected that Emily wanted to be more involved if there is another grandchild, so was attempting to change her ways. Lorelai was suspicious about a leopard changing its spots, but wondered if some sort of middle ground was possible. She had to at least keep the possibility open.  
  
Lorelai looked up again when she heard the lawn mower shut off. She saw Luke disappear around the side of the house, to put the mower in the garage. He reappeared a moment later, using the front of his t-shirt to wipe his face.  
  
When she caught a glimpse of Luke's exposed abs, Lorelai pondered a little afternoon sex, but only after Luke took a shower. Glancing at his bear arms, Lorelai was still surprised at how well-muscled and the excellent shape he is in. He claimed it was because in some alternate universe he was this famous baseball player.  
  
Luke walked towards Lorelai, and she stood up picking up his glass of lemonade. She told him to stay away because he was all sweaty and gross. Holding the glass at arms length, she gave him the glass, which still had a little ice left.  
  
Luke thanked her, and then downed the glass in one long drink.  
  
Lorelai told Luke that if he were to jump into the shower, that he might find a beautiful naked woman waiting for him in their room.  
  
Luke pondered asking who the beautiful woman would be, but wisely decided against it. Instead, he informed her that he needed five minutes, and then is on his way inside to the shower.  
  
Lorelai watched him go, and then spent a moment finishing her lemonade, and looking at the world. Then she turned and headed into the house, closing the door behind her.  
  
The End  
  
****************************************************  
  
Author's note:  
  
Well, it's finally over. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I guess if you are reading this you must have found it at least a little interesting.  
  
I want to thank everyone who took the time to review, you guys rock. I won't name any of the reviewers for fear of leaving anyone out, but Thanks all. But feel free to drop another review to tell me what you think of how things wrapped up.   
  
And if you haven't reviewed yet, it's not to late. You don't have to say a lot, just let me know that you read it. Please, please please!!!!! Okay this ends the shameless begging portion or our notes.  
  
I think I've taken this story as far as I can at this point, so the likelihood of another sequel is not real high at this point. Sorry. But that doesn't mean I've stopped writing, I'm just working in another direction. I have a couple of projects started, or in the thinking stage, but I'm not sure what will move to the front. All I can say is keep your eyes open here. (If you flag me as a favorite author, you can get an e-mail when I post anything. hint. hint.)  
  
Before I forget I want to take a moment to thank amiee, and panthea, my beta readers. Without their corrections and encouragement, these stories may have never finished. Thanks guys.  
  
Thanks again for reading.  
  
javakamp  
  
July 2003 


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